It is no secret that the world of journalism is changing. With the onslaught of new media, and a generation who has grown up understanding, almost instinctually, the concept of “Click”, the sacred art of journalism, once confined to paper and ink, is faced with adapting or disintegrating. And since the later doesn’t seem likely to happen, given the fact that people will always have a desire for information, and therefore, will always need people to gather that information and deliver it to them in a neat little package; the challenge becomes finding innovative and engaging ways to utilize the tools at hand.
Elizabeth Thoman and Tessa Jolls, at the Center for Media Literacy in Los Angeles, discuss the importance of understanding the new ways the world is getting information, and focus primarily on educating multimedia creators in how to effectively work with the tools these changing times have provided. There are five key questions a multimedia creator should be paying attention to, says Thoman and Jolls: Who created this message? What creative techniques are being used to attract attention? How many ways could this information be perceived? What lifestyles, values, points of view are present or omitted from this message? and Why is this message being sent?
These five questions explain that all multimedia messages must be “Created” by someone, and therefore acknowledges that there must be strict consideration of what goes into these presentations. Not every person will read / see / experience a story in the same fashion. An American woman and a woman who has grown up in an oppressive country will probably not have the same filter when reading something about women’s rights, for example. Therefore, while we as journalists consider ways to effectively layout a cohesive design that incorporates multimedia in a reader-friendly manner, we must also take into consideration the importance of appealing to the largest audience as possible.
According to Swewll Chan, a writer for the New York Times City Room Blogger, the idea of integration of multimedia into print isn’t even a concept that has to be toyed with anymore, it’s a given. Chan, along with other members of the journalism world were discussing the changing media landscape even back in 2008 as part of a Columbia University Journalism School panel. According to David Cohn, founder of Spot.us, the changes we see in how people go about getting their information is never going to return to the way it was before new media took the scene. Therefore, it is up to the journalistic fleet to figure out what the new world of journalism looks like. “We should think of it as research and development,” Cohn said. “Journalism will survive on the shoulders of its failures.”
As someone who got their first computer while still in grade school, I whole heartedly stand by that belief. I can not imagine a world where I did not have access to this bottomless pit of information known as the internet. Also as a chid of the new media / multimedia generation, I believe more strongly than ever that strong consideration of content and close attention to design and detail must be at the forefront of peoples journalistic plans. The old way of doing things is of the past- how’s the saying go? If you can’t beat them, join them? Well, I believe we’ve reached that point.
November 22, 2009 at 12:16 am |
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December 4, 2009 at 8:42 pm |
“It’s up to the journalistic fleet” but also to those outside of journalism. We have to be willing to set our routines aside and listen to new ideas (and to TEST them, something that isn’t done enough). We’re caught in a difficult place right now — journalists, graduates and journalism teachers. The print news business still earns most of its revenue by far from print products. AND small publications are doing quite well financially. But clearly, the form and purposes of news are diversifying at a dizzying pace. So we have to teach and learn the traditional AND the new tasks. Tough to do.
But, a few things that should never go out of style — thinking critically, skeptically and carefully about information received and about information sources; and communicating in clear, engaging ways (whatever the media form).