Thursday, August 23, 2007

Backpack Journalism: Carry It with You!

Valerie Insinna

Both "Mush" and "Here to Stay" described many ways that backpack journalism is succeeding, but I did think "Mush" brought valid concerns to the table.

Can one person really master all different forms of media? Would cutting corners lead to an inferior product? Isn't it better to have more than one person's work telling the story?

But to assume that all backpack journalists are a "jack of all trades, master of none" is also foolish. In my opinion, backpack journalism does not imply that a person is not a master in a certain craft, it means that he or she can ease into other media when the situation calls for it. I think the willingness and ability to tell stories with different media is essential in today's world, when people are reading less news. If a person is able to tell a story with print, video, and audio, it could be consumed by many different kinds of people and the story could be told from different angles. I don't think backpack journalism should become the rule, but if the stories are told well and if the different media add richness to what is being said, why not?

No comments: