Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
BRIDGING
Newsrooms
and
Classrooms
Huang, E., Davison, K., Davis, T., Bettendorf, E., Shreve, S. and Nair, A. (2006, Autumn). Journalism and Communication Monographs. Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 221-262.
Role convergence
2.
Most respondents (78%) agreed or strongly agreed that all journalism majors should learn multiple sets of skills, such as writing, editing, TV production, digital photography and Web design.
2.
2.
2.
5.
What skills do news professionals need to learn most at their current positions?
Editors list Good writing Multimedia production Critical thinking New technology News professionals list Good writing Multimedia production New technology Computer-assisted reporting Visual production Critical thinking Time management
1 2 3 4
5
6 7
8 9
Computer-assisted reporting Visual production Time management Second language On-camera exposure
Conclusions (continued)
Respondents with different academic and professional backgrounds share the same conviction. That is, reporting news in multiple media platforms will be tomorrows way news is presented; dealing with media convergence in college journalism education is an urgent necessity. The wait-and-see strategy will place a J-school in a disadvantaged position over the long run.
Conclusions (continued)
Generalists are needed in the industry though such needs may not be necessarily converted into requirements in job ads for a while. The needs for superhack masters of multimedia are out there, but whether the training of such superhack masters will become a norm largely depends on whether J-schools are willing to and able to develop those avant-garde courses. Students also need to learn to cooperate and collaborate across newsrooms.
Conclusions (continued)
Attitude and aptitude, together with time management ability, will be the key to producing quality work in newsrooms. The concerns that students being trained in multiple media platforms will be jacks of trades but masters of none are not grounded.
Backpackers Rule
In 2005, Mark Hamilton, a former journalist and a then journalism instructor in Vancouver, BC, highly praised backpackers. He was so excited about the BJ idea that he wrote: In fact, if I were 19 again and starting out as a journalist, Id do whatever it took to be a backpack journalist.
My New Study
This year, I completed a study Media convergence and young audience: Finding a converging point, in which I concluded, True convergence, based on the findings from this study, however, needs to be realized on the Internet. As the current generations of people in the ages of 40 and above, it is very likely that the paper part of newspaper will gradually become a nostalgic concept, and TV and radio will be assimilated into online news presentations.
My New Study
In the years to come, a true convergence
will mean that the news industry provides the younger generation an experience of consuming multimedia news that is customizable and relevant to them all online through computers or other more convenient and less expensive hand-held devices with an opportunity for audience to be easily engaged in participatory journalism.
The Point Is
Backpack journalism education should become the standard for future journalists.