Backpack Journalism

- from Ashley Ward

I believe Martha Stone’s description of multimedia journalism as a “mush of mediocrity” addresses the primary fear of many journalists. No one wants the quality of journalism to suffer, but I think people have to accept the idea that journalism’s form must change in order to stay relevant. While developing this new form of converged media, mistakes are going to be made. However, as an investment in the future of journalism, news corporations must be willing to work through these missteps and pour resources into more advanced training for the journalists currently staffing their newsrooms.
I don’t believe the ultimate success of converged media rests with current journalists, however. The largest contributors will be students entering the field from journalism programs which emphasize telling stories across different platforms. As these students advance in their careers, they will be more comfortable working in an environment that combines different forms of journalism in order to tell the story most effectively. Although most of these journalists will still specialize, they will have a broader knowledge of different technologies, and therefore will be more inclined to tell a story using a variety of mediums, engaging a more diverse group of consumers.