In last thirty years we have witnessed major changes in communication at all levels of society, which is a direct consequence of the development of digital technology, the information industry and the media. Thanks to the Internet, communication has become more intense and straightforward, and its users have been given a chance to form public opinion to certain degree. But apart from all these advantages, new technologies have also brought new challenges for journalists, especially when it comes to socially responsible journalism. This paper presents an overview of the changes that have led to such a situation. By analyzing the results of the survey, compared to the case studies, on the example of an independent portal TRIS, the paper highlights guidelines for more socially responsible independent Internet media. Independent journalist portal TRIS has managed to attract a permanent audience of about 60000 readers per month, without investing in distribution and promotion of its content. Since the portal mostly relies on socially responsible, and not entertainment contents, this result issatisfactory. But for portal to reach wider audience, it is necessary to make some changes. The case study, as well as the results of the survey, point to the need to adapt the strategy for social media acting, primarily through greater engagement of their users. Research also suggests that commercial use of Google and Facebook should be used for the same purpose, since communication on the Internet takes place primarily on their platforms, which significantly limits the possibilities of organic (unpaid) reach or distribution of media content.