I'm taking a Masters class in Media Convergence and Planning. Basically, it talks a lot about how journalists aren't focused on just writing a story for their medium, say television. They are also shooting video, taking pictures, writing web updates, doing stories for other television outlets throughout the country, etc. It's exhausting.
My class asks us to write a blog each week about whatever we want. So, I wrote about my thoughts on media convergence, and then I realized, maybe I shouldn't have been so critical considering my professor will be grading this, but a blog should be honest. Grade me for my knowledge, not for my belief.
Anyways, this is what I wrote...please let me know what you think. If it's good, pass it along to someone. If it's not, pretend it's good :) Just kidding, let me know so I can improve my writing.
Thanks everyone!
Are Journlists Being Pushed Too Much?
Edward R Murrow is rolling over in his grave. Aside from his famed
DeLorean, unless Back To The Future's Doc Brown comes up with another
great invention, say add on two additional hours to each day,
journalists simply do not have enough time to formulate quality news
stories like they used to.
Converged journalists are the wave of
the present and the future. News directors, and newspaper editors want
more out of their reporters besides just writing a story. That was SO
1990s. Now, journalists are expected to develop sources, get
soundbites, write, shoot video, take pictures, make sure they look
presentable so they can do live shots for tv, or web updates or both.
They are supposed to find out the "why" behind the "what" while
searching around town for the people that know the "who" so they can get
the "how". And, if that wasn't enough, many times they have to do two
roles. How are they supposed to have time to do anything but skim the
surface news? With high pressure demands to fit different media
convergences, it's nearly impossible for converged journalists to do
anything but wash, rinse, repeat.
When I worked in television
news, we used to have "Sweeps" days. Sweeps period are a block of days
that occur four times a year, usually lasting a month, that television
networks and advertisers pay special attention to, in order to focus on
the ratings and ad prices for the future. If your ratings are good,
advertisers want to be on your network, tv execs know this so ad prices
go up and the dollars continue to pour in. Television bosses love
dollars! So, during these "sweeps" days you were given a day to not
turn a story, but work on a bigger, more important, ground breaking
story for the future. However, as happens nearly every time, there
would be some form of breaking news, they would look around the newsroom
and see a reporter working on their sweeps story, and say, we need you
to cover this. They would run out and cover it, and their sweeps day
was crossed off the calendar with less to show for it than they
originally hoped.
You ask, what's my point? My point is, in
journalism, the immediate always looks shinier than the big picture. TV
time, column spaces, radio time all need to be filled on a daily
basis. Newscasts and newspapers are approximately the same length every
day, and content needs to fill that spot, or as we like to call it,
"Feed The Beast". The mode now is to spread the reporter's wings to hit
many different mediums...tv, radio, print and web. Many times they
intercede on the same story, because the more mediums you are on, the
better exposure of the organization, and the more exposure, hopefully
better ratings and with better ratings, we have learned more dollar
signs and Quiz Time: What do tv execs like? Answer: Dollar Signs.
When
I used to see a reporter setting up the camera to shoot their story,
pressing record and walking away, so they can get closer to do the
interview, I cringed. When I saw them huffing around in 90 degree heat
shooting a bank robbery in their pant suits, I cringed. When I saw a
print photographer carrying a still and video camera at the same time,
one for print, the other to post video on the web, I cringed. Welcome
to Converged Journalism! The wave of journalists doing more for more
outlets.
What are we the viewer really learning besides bare bones
journalism? We have learned digging deeper uses a very shallow
shovel. Instead, they are told to use a wide sweeping broom to cover it
all. That is the focus of the future. Somewhere Edward is shaking his
fists at us.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
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