Photo Credit: Kinga
Once upon a time there was a photographer and a reporter -- a person expected to make pictures and write stories. They weren't hired to tweet, curate the news, shoot video, make pictures, produce audio, write and edit copy, and design a web page. Although we think of backpack journalism as a recent phenomenon, the shift to multiple media platform began with the advance of computerization, technological innovation, as well as the downsizing of the industry.
Today, a transformation is taking shape. The demand for visual storytellers with experience and knowledge of video, audio, design, and writing, along with basic digital camera skills seems to have become the norm, not the exception. In our competitive and changing field, photographers, videographers, writers, and editors, must learn to communicate effectively across multiple platforms. For example, it is common for a news outlet to expect a reporter to not only write, but also to capture pictures and audio for the web.
Daniel Sato went to college to become a photojournalist, a field he had been interested in since high school. After graduating, unfortunately, the job market had dried up. When Daniel graduated in 2003, the job had already been on a dramatic downslide. Even when news organizations like Reuters were eliminating more 3,000 jobs, Daniel was determined to succeed. Almost immediately Daniel began honing other skills such as writing, video and web design. As the economy began to recover, Daniel had learned a few important lessons about where photojournalism was headed – a web-based industry that would provide many different ways of storytelling. In order to promote his work and demonstrate the range of skills he had developed, Daniel set up a blog. “Students today need to realize that it is quickly coming to the point that photography is not enough,” Daniel notes. “I am not necessarily advocating that students need to master skill sets beyond photography, but they need to be aware of things like video, html, CSS, flash, after effects, etc. They need to understand how these skills/programs can add to the story they are trying to tell and surround themselves with people from a variety of backgrounds,” he said.
James Horton notes, "Although thousands of reporters still work traditionally in media conglomerates, there are a growing number called upon to use multiple media and to act as publishers by running their own blogs, for example. Not long ago, one could be a reporter/writer. Now, mainstream and new media journalists handle print, web, video and sound."
Media JobMarket blog correspondent Hayli Morrison has some words of advice for journalists in an age of digital convergence:
- The emerging technology has a ripple effect of other considerations for modern-day media professionals. From salary and benefits to competition and insta-news, technology is changing the face of media and shaking things up like never before.
- Media industry veterans may find the tech-driven changes unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first, but they would do well to embrace the inevitable.
From my own experience as a teacher, I encourage students to dabble in all areas of creating news content. This would range from digital image editing, photojournalism, page layout, web design, video field production, reporting, audio production, copy editing, web design, and more. Although many students will gravitate to a particular speciality such as reporting or photojournalism, someone with a larger array of skill sets may be more likely to find work.
Although many students are reluctant at first to set up a personal website to maintain a blog, but the benefits can far outweigh the determinants. Blogs are simple and practical ways to establilsh the day-to-day discipline of working across platforms that is required of many journalists today. In addition, blogs can serve as personal brands for reporters or photographers who specialize in specific fields of interest such as the environment, politics, or sports.
Sitting back and waiting for someone to hire a newcomer to the field without experience is pretty unusual. Students need to begin practicing their craft in whatever way they can as soon as possible and blogging on a specific topic is a great way to get started. As more and more news migrates to the web, young journalists who have experience with online reporting and producing visual content will have a clear advantage.
