In reading the two articles assigned, I have re-affirmed a few of my pre-existing conceptions and gathered a few new opinions. On a positive note, "backpack journalism" or our adored Convergence Journalism sequence here at Mizzou, is essential in the future of journalism. It's very important to know some of everything, to be able to help a colleague perfect his/her story and to be secure in knowing your job is everyones job and that very few can do what you do. There's great pride in knowing that.
On a less positive (but still positive) note, from reading the two articles, my opinion is that our jobs as convergence journalists is not to replace people. I feel as though that is the main concern of those against us. Convergence is an area media outlets should be hiring a multitude for, and training their pre-existing staff to do. The best journalism will always come from teams of journalists. I cannot argue that a convergence journalist will do it all and media outlets need to staff five of them to replace their old staff. I will argue that a person with the knowledge, skill, and energy it takes to be a convergence journalist, will make journalism more accessible, creative, and interesting. I will argue that the capability to tell a story from multiple angles, or to know exactly which one will be at the forefront, is one of the most valuable tools of multimedia technology.
My bottom line is that the world is changing. The world will always be changing, and we are in a field that documents that change. Fortunately, the means we go about documenting the changes will not stay the same. Media outlets need to employ a team of convergence journalists, each person on that team focused on a specific form of media, but capable to do it all. That team needs to be at the forefront of every big story, and constantly working on an in-depth piece that takes place over time. That team is the future of journalism, take it or be left behind.
Rochelle Evans
No comments:
Post a Comment