A Cross-Over Artist

A while ago, I heard someone say, "The Great Journalist is a cross-over artist." In my opinion, this could not be more true, and isn't this exactly what a convergnce journalism is training us to do? To become a cross-over artist? While there is some criticism to the general concept of a backpack journalist, I believe that it is "here to stay."

Backpack/convergence journalism is a form that promotes one of the most essential things journalism can offer: a public forum. Because of the multimedia used in backpack journalism, people are now able to recieve news in the most accessible, understandable and even most personal way possible. A photo may captivate one person, where video footage or words would another...hence the importance of the cross-over artist. The backpack journalist is essentially catering to the needs of the citizens by providing various options for them to recieve the news. Because of this, the journalist is not only telling a story, but inviting the audience to join in. This ultimately makes journalism more of a conversation, rather than just a one-way or linear (as they called it in the "Here to Stay" article) form of communication.

While I do agree with the second article about there sometimes being low quality photos, video and/or sound from a backpack journalist's coverage, I believe that with the advancement and improvement of technology, this will all become less of an issue and the demand for the convergence journalist will sky rocket. I completely disagree with the statement made in the second article that, "the do-it-all journalists should be the exception, not the rule." Presently I do think the backpack journalist is the exception rather than the rule, but only because the convergence of different forms of media has only truly began recently and because we are still waiting on innovations in technology and in training in order to imrpove the overall quality of the distribution of the news from multimedia. Although this seems to be present situation, in the future I believe the backpack journalist will become the rule rather than the exception because the use of the various forms of media bring a greater connectedness not only between the journalist and the citizens, but between people in communities, cities, countries and ultimately the world. Definitely here to stay.