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