Television Tunnelvision

One recurring theme in all of the readings we were assigned was "focus". The idea is simple enough: without a specific, narrow focus, your story can quickly become a jumble of ideas, quotes, and video clips. No focus, no impact.

But like many things in journalism, there is a fine line that we must try to walk. How much focus is too much? If we go into a story with a extremely narrow, preconceived notion of what the story is and what is the best way to shoot it, you might miss some very important details and opportunities.

There's no question, though, that having a plan for each story is important. Trying to gather all the pieces of the puzzle and throwing them together before a deadline is almost impossible in visual journalism. We should focus on our focus, but not ignore the possibility that a story might not go as we envision it will.

This can be challenging at times, but no one said convergence journalism was easy. That might have something to do with why convergence journalists are in such high demand.