Backpack Journalism

Anton Berkovich

I think the concept of backpack journalism is an interesting one because it allows journalists to use the most appropriate tools to present their stories. It's now easier-and will keep getting easier-for someone to instantly upload their packages to the internet. I think as this becomes easier, it's important for journalists to not get overwhelmed with this technology. With easier publishing mediums, it also becomes easier to publish a story with less fact-checking, editing, and other professional practices. So while I think blogs are important resources for people to get their news, it's still important to stay professional. An example I've seen recently is with New York Times' reporting of actor Heath Ledger's death on their site's blog, which is updated constantly throughout the day. As the story unfolded, the blog posted throughout the day that Heath Ledger was in Mary Kate Olsen's apartment (later taken off) and that "drugs" were involved, implying illegal activities, though they were simply over-the-counter pills, and then that he was face down when found (which was also taken off). I think that a company like New York Times (which I usually highly respect) needs to get its facts straight before publishing what sells; that is, celebrity drug scandals and whatnot. So while technology and backpack journalism makes it easier to publish across mediums and technical formats, there is still no reason that the usual (ideally) practices of journalism are kept in place.