Your Future in Convergent Journalism

The chapter of “Principles of Convergent Journalism” entitled “Your Future in Convergent Journalism” says that the role of the journalist becomes more of a “function” than a title. With so many outlets available to publish information, in theory, anyone can be a journalist. This chapter says that the real journalists can stand out by “tying your value to the utility of the content for the public,” and take advantage of the rapidly changing industry (203).

As media evolve, so do media-related jobs. New media affects a journalists career path as they become expected to know and do more. Versatility is more important than ever. A reporter is now not only a writer, but a videographer, photographer, blogger and social-media user.

However, as new outlets and forms of media emerge, Federal Communications Commission regulations against cross-ownership limit the jobs available in convergent journalism (205). As of early 2007, federal regulations prohibited cross-ownership of newspapers and TV stations in the same market (205).

This chapter says that the Multiskilled Journalist must be prepared to enter a job market that expects versatility and adaptibility. It provides advice on what to have in a job interview such as writing samples and a standard resume.

The chapter also discussed: leveraging convergent Skills to get a job today, positioning yourself to get a job as a multiskilled journalist.

The end of this chapter offers advice to journalists for landing a job using multiple skills. It advises men and women separately on how to prepare for a job interview, and suggests what one might need for the interview (212). It continues with advice on decorum during the interview and then describes specific types of media positions. These include: On-air positions, producer/editor positions, visual journalist positions and web positions.

In the interview, the chapter discussed “negotiation and presentation,” and “supporting evidence” (213-14).

The Contract and your Job

Launching and Fine-tuning your career

Career path for journalists

Converging with Other Emerging Media

Chapter 11 in “Principles of Convergent Journalism” discussed the various forms of convergence, including RSS feeds, E-mail notification, text messaging, billboards and RBDS (radio broadcast data service).

RSS, or “really simple syndication,” or “rich site summary,” is an internet tool that provides content to users who have selected the tool and have chosen which information they would like to receive (188). RSS capabilities have become standard in browsers and the audience has broadened as RSS feeds become more available.

For example, a New York Times reader can customize their RSS feed to receive New York Times headlines. A celebrity gossip junkie can do the same by selecting to receive the perezhilton.com feed, too. These feeds are generated automatically by the publishing systems (189), usually when content is posted or updated, so the timing for an RSS feed is almost immediate.

E-mail notifications, like RSS, are generally personalized to the receiver. However news that is delivered in an E-mail notification is less frequent, as subscribers may receive one or two emails at a consistent time each day. E-mail news delivery may be more customized, however, as readers can often select what they would like to see in their emails.

Text messaging as a form of news delivery is limited in content, as texts allow fewer characters. Therefore stories are condensed and will often offer a way to find the extended version of a story. The book says that the options for timing content delivered via text includes immediate breaking news and content summaries in regular intervals (195).

Billboards are a much older form of media (197). However, they have gained popularity as billboards have the capability to deliver news via billboard. Billboards are limited to even fewer characters than text messages and therefore may only display one headline at a time. Further, these billboards are a clever marketing tool for news outlets, yet they have aroused concern for highway safety.

Radio broadcast data services are used to transmit short news updates. Traffic reports or the most frequent type of content tramsmitted. However, most radio stations are not equipped to receive the information, most listeners don’t look at their radios to see the information transmitted, and stations don’t bother to transmit information other than the call letters and information about the program (200).

James is now in her second year at Kendall College, a full-time chef, and a mother of three. "I figure I have a lot on my plate," she said. "But it'll pay off"

DuBose was a cook in a Louisiana restaurant for years before Hurricane Katrina "wiped out" the restaurant. He moved to Chicago to work as an electrician with his uncle before he enrolled at Cafe Too.

Enloe, 38 found Inspiration Cafe about eight years ago after she quit her job and couldn't find another. After graduating from Cafe Too, she worked in catering for two years before she returned to teach at Cafe Too.

From Broadcast to Internet: Repurposing Content

According to the chapter entitled, “From Broadcast to Internet: Repurposing Content,” the Web combines strengths of both print and electronic media. The Web, however, has changed the way an audience is able to consume and replay the news. Unlike print, there is no “news hole” limited to advertising constraints. And unlike TV, the Web can offer video that can be replayed or rewound (76).

Few TV stations create their own Web sites. Many stations contract through World Now or Internet Broadcasting (IBS). IBS handles Web sites for stations in the largest markets (79). Television Web sites rely on posting a lot of content and replenishing it as often as possible.

The chapter said that most news organization Web sites look the same for three reasons: a small number of people design news media Web sites, the nature of the news is standardized and competition (79). In the competitive world of journalism, the book said that everyone “is constantly looking at what others are doing.”

An “increasingly common” feature of newspaper Web sites is the use of “Web shells,” or, dedicated space on the site to hold special reports, multimedia elements and related information on a specific topic (81). Broadcast stations, however, do not typically use web shells as often as newspaper sites do.

Whether they are told online or on TV, broadcast stories can be essentially th e same (81). However story length is not as constrained online. In an online story, the writer must remove self-references and descriptors that come from ad-libbing and injecting personality. For online text, attributions may go last rather than first, as it would in a newspaper story.

A key element in crafting a Web story is interactivity (82). Online readers are more active than TV viewers, so they will expect to have to do something with the content provided rather than simply viewing it. Another is its presentation, which has to deal with the physical layout and organization of the story online. Stations will post all their top stories together on a main page as opposed to laid out on a page or timed throughout a TV segment.

Basics of Broadcasting: in “Principles of Convergent Journalism”

Chapter Seven of Wilkinson, Grant and Fisher’s “Principles of Convergent Journalism,” “The Basics of Broadcasting,” says that in a converged media environment, the basics of good reporting are always essential, and lists five principles that are essential and have not changed across media: accuracy, attention to detail, compelling information, appropriate and solid attribution, and proper grammar, word usage, spelling and punctuation (p. 109-110).

What differs between television and print, however, are three principles (p. 111). The first, “stress the visual.” The best stories incorporate interesting b-roll, photos, video and sound bites that help tell the story. The second principle: “stress the moment.” Timeliness of a television broadcast has been the strength of TV news. The third principle, “stress the simple,” says that “linearity is a constant in storytelling,” and that stories need to be told as simply as possible.

However as TV stations have “fallen in status,” news departments have cut staff and those who are employed are given more general responsibilities. Radio staffs are always much smaller, with positions for a news director, anchor, and reporter as the vital roles.

Television staffs, however consist of a news director, producer, assignment editor, anchor, reporter, photographer, video editor, graphic artist, studeio production staff, librarian/archivist and field producer/anchor. All work together to produce a package for just one story that includes video, sound and visuals to compliment the storytelling. TV relies on visuals to tell a story and in more complex stories, it becomes even more necessary to find a compelling visual (p. 115). The graphical elements of a television package bring everything together to tell one story cohesively.

The chapter also discussed the notion of use of time in TV news. A live newscast reports news that occured minutes, hours or maybe a day before, which must be clear in the writing. These stories may take one of the following forms: a reader, or script-only story; a voice-over; a voice-over/sound-on-tape; a package; and telling a story with pictures–a video essay (p. 120).

Finally, “Basics of Broadcasting” outlined elements of a reporter, or “talent.” Viewers expect reporters to be authoritative, friendly, folksy, energetic and sincere.