After reading both articles, it appears that one is written by a journalist on the forefront of change and therefore fully endorsing it, and another who does not necessarily accept the need for change and therefore scoffs at it. However, the fear of backpack journalism becoming a fog of mediocrity is a well-founded one. Knowing a little about everything is beneficial to a point, but sooner or later, it is a hindrance. You cant know everything about something if you spend time trying to learn something about everything. For this reason, experts of a craft will always be needed. Because of this, good writers, great editors and producers, and those with gifts in photography will always be sought after. However, there is an undeniable undercurrent that is growing in news organizations nation-wide. That is: that conventional journalism is failing. Newspapers cross-country are losing money and circulation. Magazines and papers are too slow to handle the pace of news generation. Television can keep up, but the depth of the story telling is lacking, leaving the consumer wanting more.
The answer, as expressed and accepted by both writers, is the web. With the possibilities offered by the web, this next generation (our own) can re-define and perhaps reestablish the
profession. We should be cautioned, however, that rushing headlong into this endeavor will result in the mush of average, uninspired storytelling that those opposed to backpack journalism fear. What needs to happen is the literal physical convergence of skills that make a story unfold. A great reporter puts the reader there. A gifted photographer can capture the emotion of a place with only one split-second image. A good tv personality captures your attention and delivers the information quickly and efficiently. With the web and the capabilities it gives modern journalists, I think the future is not one reporter who can do it all at a 70% level. I believe the future will be teams of journalists who are capable of everything but masters of one. It is unlikely that one reporter will be able to produce, edit, and present every aspect of a news story at the expected quality, but a team of three, each with strengths, could easily put out products of great quality faster and more efficiently than the old way of an entire television crew or print team.
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As far as backpack journalism goes, that’s exactly what I want to do with my career. Not only does the convergence of all these different mediums of journalism provide feed back from the consumer as Jane Stevens points out, it also opens the reader up to many forms of journalism they normally wouldn’t consider. It is itself a new form of journalism, but it’s compiled of old practices. While some people swear by newspapers, and others by broadcast, the internet has the capability of bringing the two together, offering the viewer a better package. The reader can go on line to read an article, and also view footage of the event or see still photos. It leads to a much more informed news consumer.
The thing I love most about converged media is that the limits of journalism can be stretched. Word count is no longer driving articles. The consumer can read more content on line than in a newspaper simply because of space restrictions.
This blogger obviously understands that the only thing news organizations will own in the future is content; current delivery systems are archaic, billing processes are cumbersome, etc. Owning ALL the content in a reputable, accurate and reliable form and selling it to others for distribution may be the lone salvation of this business. A reporter may well need the skills to write, edit, shoot stills and video in order to provide the content to a variety of buyers.
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