Examining the industry

In efforts to study for my exam tomorrow, I’ve been going through my notes. Duh.

The first thing in there is about converged newsroom methods. They’ve become increasingly reporter-driven. Producers used to dictate where reporters went on story assignments and instructed the appropriate angle to take. But thanks to those little black backpacks accommodating thousands of dollars worth of electronic toys, reporters can take liberties like never before.

There are some pros Dr. Byers discussed in class:

1)    Immediacy. Multimedia coverage can come from most remote of places.

2)    Non-linear. Stories can take twists and turns as readers link to supporting pages and articles online.

3)    Continuous and expanding coverage. The story develops quickly as reporters continually add updates.

4)    Lower costs. Save the trees. We like digital.

5)    Opportunity for getting info from a variety of sources and media. Access is endless.

6)    Two-way communication: Consumers can offer their own material. Story comments appreciated, thank you.

7)    Easier to travel, less distracting to onlookers. All the equipment is so tiny and fits so nicely into that backpack.

Great stuff. But what about the cons? Backpack journalism certainly isn’t the end-all be-all.

1)    May produce reports that lack context and analysis. Immediacy is great, but often there’s no time to hone in on details before a reporter moves to the next thing.

2)     “Jack of all trades, master of none.” I can take a few decent photos and put them into iMovie to make a nice looking audio/photo slide show. But it’s just nice. Not spectacular. (A note to my future employer: It’s not spectacular yet.)

3)    Forced backpacking reduces quality. I’m tired. I don’t want to run around all day and shoot video and photos and blog and then write a story.

4)    Technical hiccups. Once my iTalk drained my iPod battery and I had to take notes longhand. What!?

5)    Requires multimedia convergence. We’ve seen this effort flop so many times, even right here at MU Student Media.

6)    Seasoned journalists and academics are skeptical of change. Everything worked so well in the past, and this is a pretty big jump.

7)    BIG DEMAND. LOW SUPPLY. (Another note to my future employer: Hello!)