Day One blog - Backpack Journalism

From: Justin Ray

I share some concerns with the second article, specifically that most backpack journalists are utilitarian at all forms of media, but masters at none. Since my mind works almost entirely in sports metaphors, I'll use a small handful here. As a kid, no little leaguer aspires to be Jose Vizcaino or the fifth-starter / long relief man at the back of a big league pitching staff. Rather, the youngster envisions himself as Manny Ramirez cheesing for an Upper Deck baseball card shoot, or as Dontrelle Willis II in training. In a parallel to this, with two whole days of Convergence under my figurative belt, it is not my desire to be the Jose Oquendo of multimedia, but a news gathering dynamo with an arsenal of mediums at my skilled disposal. I hardly call my aspirations as an attempt to dive into a "mush of mediocrity."

The necessity for multi-tasking journalists goes hand in hand with the way people acquire news now and will in the future, and old-fashioned industry types will realize that in time. But, I agree that even the most talented and focused individual can suffer slip-ups when holding so many responsibilities at once.