ALJ301 reactions, thoughts and musings

This week I read the second chapter of Stephen Quinn’s Convergent Journalism: The fundamentals of multi-media reporting (2005, Peter Lang, New York).

Convergent journalism – the delivery of news using multiple formats to reach multiple audiences around the clock – can only be the way forward for the media industry.

It seems inevitable in an age where we struggle with time constraints and the internet is increasingly used for quick grabs of information that aren’t readily available from other sources. An age where we want access to the old ways, too.

There are downsides to convergent journalism, like the increasing use of poor quality images and videos. And, in Australia where access to cheap broadband is limited, the internet factor can’t possibly take off as well as it might elsewhere… yet. The convergence roll-out would be incredibly expensive and there are technological issues to overcome. Journalists could react adversely to the change, particularly the increase in deadlines and the need to be more multi-skilled (a common theme in new media).

Nonetheless, I reckon media has to look to convergence because the old ways, alone, don’t work anymore. And I like the idea of getting all the journos to work together. The old adage ‘two heads are better than one’ seems to fit. There’s an emphasis on teamwork (which needs to come from top-level management) and this can ultimately only produce better journalism for our consumers.

And that’s my final point. Convergence has to be rolled out with the reader in mind, not the media owner’s hip pocket.

Cheers – Koren

This week I checked out an online presentation by Jane Stevens about multimedia storytelling.

Despite the difficulties – journalists need to be more skilled with a range of equipment – I feel this type of journalism is positive for the media industry as it increases the reporter’s usefulness. One journalist can get all the elements needed to create the story, including images, audio and video grabs, the words, and even play a part in the layout of the final product.

And in a world where the journalist’s role is changing and ‘old media’ jobs like newspaper reporting may become more and more scarce, this can only be good. That said, journalist’s will need to be much more skilled and adaptable… and we are busy enough already!

On another note, looking at the Dancing Rocks multimedia story example, I found myself more inclined to browse over the text than watch a video. And given the structure, which aims to ensure nothing is repeated over different types of media (unlike traditional stories), there is potential for elements of the story to be missed by the reader/viewer.

But perhaps younger, more technologically-savvy consumers will be more likely to check out the visual elements. These could lure youngsters into regular consumption, which is always a challenge.

Either way, there is certainly a place for multimedia stories in today’s media world but they must be complemented by ‘older’ styles in order to retain old-fashioned consumers (like myself!).

Until next week – Koren

Hello and welcome to my weekly blog, a component of Deakin University’s ALJ301 Multi-Media Journalism course.

This blog will house my reactions and musings on the weekly set readings, as well as my thoughts on a range of journalism-based blogs I come across in the course of my studies.

Enjoy! – Koren

PS. Feel free to contact me on the form below.