When I began to read the first article "Backpack Journalism is Here to Stay" I though Jane Stevens was quite pompous. Dropping names whom I had never heard of and speaking as though she knew everything there is to know about the new "multimedia" journalism. Talking about where she came from and throwing in how she was at the New York Times made me want to click the X in the upper right hand corner of my web page. As I continued to read and gave her more of a chance I thought she made some interesting points, even if they are now dated.
"Two of multimedia's most important characteristics are context and continuity, characteristics that television and print don't have to multimedia's degree." was a point that really stood out to me. I was in New York on September 11, 2001. I remember watching how people with cameras became journalists, if you thought it was overkill nationally on affiliates like FOX news or MSNBC then you can imagine how force fed the coverage was from local news channels. Images, sound bites, slide shows, simple video all played a role on that tragic day and has evolved into the latest tragedy at VA TECH. Images and sound bites bring continuity and more importantly context to the story which lead to complexity in turn making your story authentic.
On the flip side, while reading the second article "Backpack Journalism is a Mush of Mediocrity" I started out agreeing with Martha Stones viewpoints of convergence journalists being multi-taskers being able to operate many things well but master nothing. That being said, as I continued to read I grew out of favor with what she had to say because I didnt think her statements were valid.
For one, to say that "do-it-all journalists" are not needed to propel media companies is completely untrue. I know many adults who dont have the foggiest idea as to how to operate a computer let alone a high tech camera, or create a website with a technical program like DreamWeaver or even iweb! That being said I believe it is essential for journalists to be "triple threats" when it comes to how they do their jobs especially if they want to continue to be employed. The world is moving at the speed of light when it comes to technology and soon Newspapers and even books could become obsolete. If you can "do-it-all" you give yourself an edge in a world full of "specialized individuals".
Secondly, journalists who are able to live with their backpacks consisting of a laptop (I have a Macbook which consists of all I need to make a story) they can do great work. In the previous semester, my external hard drive broke 2 days before a story was due- I couldn't sign out a video camera so I grabbed my Macbook and redid the story in 6 hours- I got an A on the project and my friends and family, when I showed them what I had done thought they were watching a real live package that could be seen on any local news company in the country. Had I not had the technical skills to know how to operate my tools, I am convinced I would have had to do twice the work with a lesser end result.
SO moving forward in the journalism world will only continue to become more technical as computers become more complex so will journalism. Thats why to be a success, all you need is your laptop back pack and a dream~
-SSliker
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