First there was Journalism. Then came New Journalism. Raging against New Journalism came Gonzo Journalism. With the Internet came Citizen Journalism. Now, journaism schools are advocating Convergence Journalism.
Why are all these adjectives prefacing the word Journalism? Each one reveals a different aspect and perspective of a profession that is radically altered by each change in technology.
In his book We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People Dan Gillmor contends that “the collision of journalism and technology is having major consequences for three constituencies: journalists, newsmakers, and the audience.”
He believes that “Blogs and other modern media are feedback systems. They work in something close to real time and capture—in the best sense of the word—the multitude of ideas and realities each of us can offer.”
While the Internet has transformed journalism and the media, it has also placed demands on its practitioners. A new form of journalism, dubbed Convergence Journalism, has been born. Now, editors expect journalists to be proficient in writing, Web layout, digital photography, and broadcasting.
“In short, the traditional lines separating newspapers, broadcast stations and Web sites are blurring at a rapid rate,” wrote Thom Lieb in All the News: Writing and Reporting for Convergent Media. “Media convergence—the blending of media—has become a fact of life in the 21st century, and journalism will never be the same.”
Even though we are all journalists, only the well equipped (i.e., those who are familiar with and comfortable using all media) will survive.
There is one caveat however. “The new media and technologies by which we can amplify and extend ourselves constitute huge collective surgery carried out on the social body with complete disregard for antiseptics,” wrote Marshall McLuhan in his 1964 classic Understanding Media. “If the operations are needed, the inevitability of infecting the whole system during the operation has to be considered."
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I agree that the Internet has transformed journalism, placing “demands on journalist.” Convergence Journalism was born as new technology advanced, combining different forms of journalism, such as print, photographic and video into one group. Journalism has always been about conveying the news, however, over the years technology has brought us faster and more innovative ways to get the news. As a result, journalists have been compelled to keep up with the latest technology.
ReplyDeleteTelevision brought journalist from behind the news desk to in front of the camera, involving them with editing. The Internet brought us Online Newspapers and Magazines, as well as informal publications like blogs. Journalist who were once writers, editors, photographers, broadcast anchors or producers, must now possess excellent news writing skills, and know how to report in print, online, radio, and television formats. Yes, life in this high-speed 21st century has “blended the media, and journalism will never be the same.”
Dan Gillmor’s book, We the Media, “casts light on the future of journalism.” He asserts that Journalism in the 21st century will be, “fundamentally different from the Big Media that prevails today.” Considering the popularity of blogs and the inexpensive start up cost for Web sites he makes an excellent point. “Grassroots’ journalists are dismantling Big Media’s monopoly on the news, transforming it from a lecture to a conversation, publishing in real time to a world-wide audience via the Internet,” said Gillmor. The popularity of Facebook and Twitter proves how much people enjoy interacting. So while I agree that only the “well-equipped journalists will survive,” I also agree that the impact of the Internet is just beginning to be felt by the professionals. As Gillmor points out, “Give the people the tools to make the news, and they will.”
I think that the fact that journalism will never be the same thanks to newer and newer technology is a great thing. It may be a bit more complicated and high-tech then it once was, but who is to say that this is a bad thing. We are getting the news we want in so many different and faster ways now days. I think that by keeping up with the times is the best way to move forward and get ahead of the game.
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