Journalism Today Chapter 1 “Reporting for the Media” Text Writing for the Mass Media Class

Technology Drives Changes New technologies require that news organizations develop new ways of providing information to audiences Digital journalism and convergence are key issues in today’s news industry New job descriptions today reflect trend: backpack journalists, sojos (solo journalists) and mojos (mobile journalists)

Today’s Multimedia Journalists Journalists must continue to be experts in reporting and writing news and do so with passion, accuracy and authority But today they are also equipped with the digital and video cameras so their stories can be shared across media platforms: print, television, Internet, blogs, podcasts

Traditional Media Must Adapt As we (the public) use the Internet more and more, we take control of how, when and what news we access. Only 20 short years ago, news consumers were at the mercy of traditional news organizations– people had to wait until the paper was delivered or until the TV and radio news programs were broadcast

The Changing Media Model Now the traditional media must adapt to avoid becoming irrelevant Media managers are making earnest investments to become successful in digital journalism Today, Internet revenues are growing and media managers are striving to become successful news providers online Digital journalism is regarded less as a competitor and more as an important component bringing in revenue and audiences

Media “Convergence” This is the concept and practice of one media owner bringing together its different news organizations under one umbrella to share personnel and equipment Media General’s Tampa, Fla. operation is often cited In 2000 MG built a $40 million News Center that houses the staffs of the Tampa Tribune, WFLA-TV and TBO.com The first floor has a TV studio, the second floor a joint newspaper/TV newsroom Editors from each medium attend the same planning meetings, discuss story coverage and consider which medium is most effective for the story Often the story is told “across platforms” in the different media. See: http://www2.tbo.com/home/

Convergence Pros and Cons Sharing sources enables news organizations to cover stories more in depth Less competing for “scoops” will mean reporting that is more accurate, thorough, comprehensive Local issues will be better covered But critics say convergence leads to less diversity in stories and content Less competition can mean less striving for excellence and a larger audience share Wasted time and space advertising and promoting each other and referring audiences to allied newspapers or TV stations for more info

Growth of Citizen Journalism As news organizations increase their use of the Web, they have begun to invite readers and viewers to participate in creating content Some editors rely on citizens’ participation (called “crowd sourcing” or “user-generated content”) to augment the work of their limited numbers of reporters and photographers With more participation and coverage, journalists and citizens feel more connected to the community and each other Post and Courier’s Shared Photos Micro News Sites: Patch.com

Training 21st Century Journalists Journalism and communication schools are taking different approaches Many offer core courses that drill the fundamentals of news judgment and gathering, writing and organizing information in one type of medium, usually print The idea is that once students understand the basic of good reporting skills, they can adapt to other media with added training in the different equipment and technology

Other Approaches On the other hand, some schools immediately introduce their students to the presentation of news on a variety of platforms. Students are taught how to operate audio equipment, digital cameras, video cameras and computer software for different types of online presentations. Assignments may consist of adapting the same story to print, audio, voice-over slide shows, video packages, standups, online and multimedia combined

Becoming a Digital Journalist Needed, according to a survey of 450 online managers and producers, are: News judgment and knowledge of grammar and style (for story writing and editing) Ability to report and write original stories and edit photos (for content creation) Attention to detail, have good communication skills, multitask and have an awareness or ability to learn new technologies (overall skills and attitude)