Upon hearing of MU's journalism program my senior year of high school I instantly knew I had to visit Mizzou. After learning about the Convergence program I was sold. My goal for the past two years has been to become the ultimate journalist or (in my mind) a Convergence Journalist.
Having the technological skills to create a web page, the writing expertise to develop and edit a story, and the artistic knowledge to take great footage make a convergence journalist extremely valuable. In this job market having skills that advance you beyond the majority of your peers has become almost necessary for a person to get any type of decent job. I feel that Mizzou's convergence program suits the new era of journalism that has slowly taken over most of (if not all) news stations.
In Martha Stone's article she worries that journalist won't be able to deliver the feast a great multimedia package can offer if done by several people who all specialize in their personal fields. While this may be true, I agree with Jane Stevens who believes that convergence journalists will specialize, but the story will determine how they deliver the news not their skills set. I think Mizzou's program, which allows a person to choose their emphasis (or specialty) is well suited for the new market of multimedia journalism.
Multimedia Award Winning Pictures:
I thought "A Third Tour of Duty" in the Best Multimedia Story or Essay was extremely well done. The title caught my eye when I was scrolling through the winners. My friend's brother is on his third tour in Iraq and the title hit home with me. I can completely understand why this story won. To begin with the story was packaged extremely well. The opening page is actually a clip, that pauses on the stories main character. I think that is impressive. Their use of map graphics, tabs outlining the story, and photo gallery put this story over the top. The story is an emotional trigger for many people experiencing similar situations. Overall, this story was excellent and something to shoot for in my own journalism.
