I think that the relatively new shift to digital, multimedia journalism has allows the news to be a lot more flexible and introduces much more variety in terms of the breadth and depth of the stories that are covered by contemporary journalists. When I visited the OC Register, all the writers had two computer monitors: one to write their story and one to keep them updated on everything through networks such as twitter. With new technology, access to news is not only faster but easier.
I see two main benefits to digital journalism. First, I can always find reliable information about the world whenever I need. All I have to do is type in some few key words in a search engine, and several articles from several different sources are immediately available. Second, the topics that journalists now cover have expanded immensely. I can read about anything from fashion to politics due to the increased access to information and ability to research fast.
I am curious to see how long written journalism will last. Newspapers are almost obsolete, and since sites like vimeo and youtube are all the rage, I think news broadcasts will soon take over the industry of journalism all together.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Change is Evident, but Welcomed
Just as news is always changing, the news industry is never the same as it was in the past. From print to broadcast to digital, journalism has seen itself become radically different and yet more versatile at the same time. That said, I applaud the changing nature of the news industry. It allows billions of people the opportunity to comb through different mediums to access their news. There are some traditionalists who only pick up newspapers instead of their remote controls to check their local broadcasts, but we need to learn to adapt to the fact that journalism encompasses so much more than newspapers. Personally, I prefer getting my news digitally just because of the ease of browsing a webpage, but there really isn’t any advantage that one genre of journalism has over another.
In this present time, the most important way a journalist, like myself, can improve is too become much more well-rounded. When I attended the AAJA convention last summer in Detroit, Michigan, I talked to Mrs. Mara Schiavocampo (Emmy Award-winning journalist from MSNBC), and she told me that in her line of work, she taught herself to do everything broadcast-related: report, film, edit, anchor, to name a few. She was basically a one-woman team. I totally concur with her. No one likes a one- trick pony. In order to become indispensable, it’s extremely important to learn every skill of your trade. Not only will you become more successful, but you’ll also be less likely to be laid off if you work for a news publication/corporation!
In order to be effective in my current position, I know that I’ll have to experience chasing stories in hard-to-reach places. To anyone starting out, reporting on events at school may seem like a novelty, but after years of doing so, it becomes routine to the point that you find yourself reporting on the same events year after year. It’ll be beneficial for not only myself, but for everyone, to venture outside of our campus to become community reporters. By doing so, I’ll become more confident when it comes to more difficult stories. It’s all about expanding boundaries.
In all honesty, I completely embrace this new change in modern journalism. It allows for the continual and constant proliferation of knowledge and news - one that lets the journalist get closer and a bit more personal with the user. It's a refreshing change - we can nearly instantly get feedback from other knowledgeable members of society instead of waiting to get into the coveted editorial section of the newspaper.
As a techie myself, I want to watch news go in this direction - its the best way to make sure everyone knows the true news. I see my role going towards a more open one, one that requires me to be able to talk to more people and understand that everyone can be knowledgeable. I started out as an editor - I've already had to move towards a more open position as a reporter and an Executive Producer. This change has happened in front of my eyes.
Skills though, I think I need to improve on working with people and delegating, to make sure the image looks the best. I think I'm capable.
As a techie myself, I want to watch news go in this direction - its the best way to make sure everyone knows the true news. I see my role going towards a more open one, one that requires me to be able to talk to more people and understand that everyone can be knowledgeable. I started out as an editor - I've already had to move towards a more open position as a reporter and an Executive Producer. This change has happened in front of my eyes.
Skills though, I think I need to improve on working with people and delegating, to make sure the image looks the best. I think I'm capable.
With the constant influx of new and innovative technology as a means of disseminating news to the public, the prevailing opinion in the field of journalism is there are only two options: hop aboard the “multimedia train” or be left behind. Whether this change is a blessing or a curse has been hotly contested and is one of the most pressing issues in journalism today.
In my opinion, I see this change as a good thing. It is now easier than ever to be informed of all the goings-on in the world. In the blink of an eye, a person can read about the latest scientific breakthrough or a recent presidential debate. This is a huge step forward in the journalistic principle of getting out information to the public.
On the other hand, however, I feel that much can be lost through this process. As print journalism is rapidly becoming an anachronistic medium, people have been moving towards a sort of “I want it all, and I want it now” attitude. The public (as Charlie said earlier) has developed gnat-like attention spans, and because of this, they opt for a “Reader’s Digest” version of the news.
This is why the most important thing in multimedia journalism is now making the news more appealing and relevant to audiences. As a reporter, my job is not only to find and report on stories, it is to take into consideration how people perceive the story and how it would appeal to them. For the journalists themselves, it is now more necessary to be well rounded. Reporters need to not only be able to write, but they need to be able to convey and report the news to their audiences in an engaging way.
In my opinion, I see this change as a good thing. It is now easier than ever to be informed of all the goings-on in the world. In the blink of an eye, a person can read about the latest scientific breakthrough or a recent presidential debate. This is a huge step forward in the journalistic principle of getting out information to the public.
On the other hand, however, I feel that much can be lost through this process. As print journalism is rapidly becoming an anachronistic medium, people have been moving towards a sort of “I want it all, and I want it now” attitude. The public (as Charlie said earlier) has developed gnat-like attention spans, and because of this, they opt for a “Reader’s Digest” version of the news.
This is why the most important thing in multimedia journalism is now making the news more appealing and relevant to audiences. As a reporter, my job is not only to find and report on stories, it is to take into consideration how people perceive the story and how it would appeal to them. For the journalists themselves, it is now more necessary to be well rounded. Reporters need to not only be able to write, but they need to be able to convey and report the news to their audiences in an engaging way.
Due to today's quick advancing technology, it's difficult to stay up to date. Every aspect of our life has to keep improving, including transportation and communication, to benefit us. Television news and internet nespaper is slowly taking over the old, traditional newspaper. There are many different advantage of each from of journalism. If one wants deep and background information, printed nespaper would be the best choice. On the other hand, internet and telivision are more instantnious. One could be on top of their games all day long and save lots of time at this time. However, internet and television sources are less reliable than the printed newspaper.
No matter what, technology journalism is slowly taking over the traditional ways. I mean, look at us! We're exchanging informations and ideas through a blog. Advanced techonologies do make our life easier as journalists much easier. We could make effects or texts more appealing to the eyes; we could report experiences and points on view from someone across the globe. These improvements could harm journalist as well though. The skill and equipment to become a journalist is in the reach for almost everyone now. One can become a journalist easily, which brings us more competitions(which is not bad all the time). In fact, this is how I became interested in journalism, just poking through the internet.
To become better journalists, we of course have to change with the fast-improving industry as well. We can't just improve solely our editing, filming or other techinical skills. We must also beware of the credibility of our sources and our own stories. Journalism is not just about how well you present your story. If one can't relate to or trust the topic we're trying to portray, then what is the use?
Development
The news industry is changing rapidly in this age with the advent of the Internet, more news providers, and better communication, and it may be all for the better. After all, the Internet has provided a universal network for journalism to spread through, effectively making people aware of current events and trends. Although newspapers and printed articles are becoming less popular, journalists are adapting and moving with the times. Websites, applications, videos, all these things present information in a way that the modern user finds appealing. The extension of information-sharing now extends far more into the user's daily life than before.
From the perspective of multimedia programs, it is definitely going to be more difficult to be able to build up an effective broadcast. Our information must be interesting and unique, but there are already thousands of other providers. Instead, we must take this information and spin our own angle on it, as what else would differentiate this news provider from the rest? Visuals are needed more than ever, starting with videos that can catch the eye of the user, appeal to them, and engross them into our subject. All of this is a considerable feat for journalists, for they are given the duty of learning the subject first in all its entirety, and then they must translate it for the users with aesthetics and fluency. We must now have good taste, a strong drive for research, and a capability to work quickly in order to get stories out to the public as soon as possible.
From the perspective of multimedia programs, it is definitely going to be more difficult to be able to build up an effective broadcast. Our information must be interesting and unique, but there are already thousands of other providers. Instead, we must take this information and spin our own angle on it, as what else would differentiate this news provider from the rest? Visuals are needed more than ever, starting with videos that can catch the eye of the user, appeal to them, and engross them into our subject. All of this is a considerable feat for journalists, for they are given the duty of learning the subject first in all its entirety, and then they must translate it for the users with aesthetics and fluency. We must now have good taste, a strong drive for research, and a capability to work quickly in order to get stories out to the public as soon as possible.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Significant Changes
I think it is fairly obvious that the Internet has changed so much. It's changed everything from the difficulty of procrastinating (it probably has slashed that in half, if it hasn't reduced it to a fourth of what it was. Think about it. Because of the Internet, there is way more distractions, and you can stay up until 12 AM researching without having to worry about when the library will close because the Internet is open 24/7!) to college apps, from teaching to journalism. I can't think of a single career that hasn't been impacted by the Internet in some way.
The public is way more informed than before the existence of the Internet, and I agree that it is imperative to realize this. Nobody likes to be talked down to, so reporters should not just give "users" information that they might already know. I do think it's important that reporters try to make news matter to the "users" and make it interesting! Users don't seek the news just for information anymore; after all, they could easily get that on the Internet. It's also definitely important to get information from users, too, since they could have valuable information. Basically, journalists should swallow their pride and realize that they can use information from the people they traditionally inform. It allows for users to feel more involved, and anyone would appreciate that.
I was reading something before about how the current generation of children and teens, being raised on the Internet, where they can get whatever they want at the click of a mouse, have developed something of a instant gratification attitude. This is really important to keep in mind because people don't want to watch some boring 5 minute long thing. They don't want to read walls of text. Their attention spans are very small, so reporters should keep their reports short and sweet and maybe even a little entertaining.
I'm going to have to learn to keep my audience's interest as a reporter. Just having interesting information isn't enough anymore. Maybe I should try to do something that's not quite as formulaic as I'm used to, and that's going to be difficult for me because I like being able to stick to a formula. I also should try and keep my reports succinct, which I suppose is not as hard, though it's a challenge in its own right.
The public is way more informed than before the existence of the Internet, and I agree that it is imperative to realize this. Nobody likes to be talked down to, so reporters should not just give "users" information that they might already know. I do think it's important that reporters try to make news matter to the "users" and make it interesting! Users don't seek the news just for information anymore; after all, they could easily get that on the Internet. It's also definitely important to get information from users, too, since they could have valuable information. Basically, journalists should swallow their pride and realize that they can use information from the people they traditionally inform. It allows for users to feel more involved, and anyone would appreciate that.
I was reading something before about how the current generation of children and teens, being raised on the Internet, where they can get whatever they want at the click of a mouse, have developed something of a instant gratification attitude. This is really important to keep in mind because people don't want to watch some boring 5 minute long thing. They don't want to read walls of text. Their attention spans are very small, so reporters should keep their reports short and sweet and maybe even a little entertaining.
I'm going to have to learn to keep my audience's interest as a reporter. Just having interesting information isn't enough anymore. Maybe I should try to do something that's not quite as formulaic as I'm used to, and that's going to be difficult for me because I like being able to stick to a formula. I also should try and keep my reports succinct, which I suppose is not as hard, though it's a challenge in its own right.
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