ALJ301 Multimedia Journalism Blog

For my final blog I will take a look at an essential site for journalists in the UK, http://www.journalism.co.uk/. This particular industry blog that the unit guide suggested was worth monitoring is quite different to any blog website I have seen before. Broken into different sections, there are many possibilities for journalists to explore.

A blog that caught my eye was ‘Is there a life after journalism?’, by Judith Townsend. Townsend wrote about a recent advert for an online reporter at The Sunday Times and how it had attracted 1,200 applications. It just goes to show how competitive the market has got.

Townsend says ‘A handful of paid blogging opportunities opened up by schemes such as Guardian Local are little comfort as journalists’ jobs are drastically culled each month.’ This reinforces a recurring factor that has reared its head in past readings, and that is online mediums taking over print journalism. Are print journalists really fighting a lost cause?

As I said in week 10’s blog, I still believe newspapers are and will remain a thriving business. As technology advances and things become cheaper, of course the convergence of media and how stories are reported will remain competitive. It is ridiculous to think that print mediums will die out all together. We have to remember, as print journalists jobs are culled, mojo’s, online bloggers, and newspaper website jobs are being created. It is as you could word it in the food chain, ‘the circle of life’.

References

http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/2009/10/12/guardian-recruiting-beatbloggers-for-new-local-project/

http://www.journalism.co.uk/5/articles/536096.php

http://www.adrants.com/images/journalist_25.jpg

This week’s industry blog that I thought was worth monitoring is called BuzzMachine, a personal blog site written by Jeff Jarvis. According to the website, Jarvis is an Associate Professor and Director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York’s new Graduate School of Journalism.

A post that particularly caught my eye was Hacking Education: Google U. Jarvis posts a chapter from ‘What would Google do’, which poses the question of who needs a university when we have Google? It explains that all of the world’s digital knowledge is available with a simple search, enabling a connection with ‘those who want to know with those who know’.

Obviously this links us with the knowledge from experts, but is a Google search really any comparison with the common text book? Do we really have to filter through useless information that may or may not be correct, or read people’s opinions on a Wiki who may not even be qualified? I think the internet is an exceptional information source, but really should not be limited to any one education. Let’s not forget our wonderful libraries!

Jarvis asks the question of why we are still teaching students to memorise facts when they are available through a search. He goes on to explain that memorisation is not as vital as curiosity, research and reasoning. I do not totally agree with this. Although I think this is an important tool in helping a student’s resource skills, I still believe memorisation and knowledge of information and how to do something is essential. I hope I won’t have to consult Google for every question I have about how to do my job when I become a PR Practitioner.

 References

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/03/06/hacking-education-google-u/

http://www.journalism.co.uk/staging/assets/4/93//buzzmachine.jpg_resized_300_240.jpeg

The reading for week 10 is a transcript of a Sydney forum on the future of mass journalism. The Australian media scene is under constant scrutiny, and the forum included a number of media commentators describing what they saw as the future of journalism in Australia.

An issue that has regularly come up whilst I have been studying this unit is the future of print journalism vs. online content and if it can really last. Campbell Reid from news Limited makes an interesting point in the forum, because until reading this I had found it difficult to find an argument that supported the future of the newspaper. Reid says that on his way to the forum he had the opportunity to buy 30 newspapers, ‘from the militant weekly newspaper to the Green Left Weekly, to News Limited’s free MX newspaper…there’s all of Australia’s main newspapers on sale, plus newspapers from Portugal, La Fiamma, the Italian newspaper, Chinese‐language newspapers, an extraordinary array of newspapers.’ Reid explains that on his short walk from news Limited to the ABC forum he could of spent $100 and not of bought the same one twice.

Newspapers, particularly in Australia, remain an extremely vibrant business. According to Reid, twenty million copies of newspapers are bought in Australia every week. I can hardly imagine a future let alone a Sunday that I do not see my parents, grandparents and sometimes myself laying in bed with a coffee and piece of toast reading the Sunday newspapers. Tradition is a huge factor in today’s world, and I can watch my parents swap parts of the newspaper without saying a word to each other and know that is one that will not be diminished soon.

References

Forum on future of Australian journalism, broadcast on ABC on 11 April 2009: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/saturdayextra/stories/2009/2539281.htm

http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/BCO3115.jpg

It was February 17^th 2004 that for the first a photograph taken by a mobile phone was published on the first page of a newspaper. This marked a milestone in the convergence of mobile phones and news gathering, and according to Quinn (2009), ‘a mere half a decade later, the mobile phone is being used as a newsgathering tool throughout Asia.’

This week’s reading explores how over the next few years with technology constantly improving, how the common mobile phone that journalists carry around in their pockets will become a reporting tool. But could there really be a day when just one journalist is able to report breaking news from the scene without a live truck? Could technology really get that cheap and that fast that it is more convenient than traditional television equipment?

Images that mobile phones currently produce do come across as fairly ordinary, but similarly, so was the internet just a decade ago. This could really be the start of a major way of journalistic reporting. A mobile phone has gone from the mere convergence of phone, internet and camera for personal and social use to a speedy wireless network, video camera and a journalist to revolutionise the way news is covered over the coming years!

Consequently though, I am reminded of my friend Rochelle who lost her Blackberry last week at a huge music event. With insurance not able to properly process her claim for another ten days, she has lost her work life, emails, telecommunications device, internet access, and social networking device. Quoting her from over dinner last night, she describes it as losing her whole life for a few weeks. I’d hate to think what would happen to a mojo in this case, it could result in a loss of a job!

References

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/docroot/dulcinea/fd_images/news/technology/2009/June/Technological-Innovations-Propelling-Citizen-Journalism/news/0/image.jpgm

Quinn, S. (2009). “Mobile journalism enables newspapers to provide real-time coverage online”.

Through this week’s reading we are introduced to another online publication that is enjoying success with citizen journalism and contributing to the revolution of the traditional media environment, Stomp.

Quinn (2009) says that user-generated content has become big news in Singapore. The country’s main media group, Singapore Press Holdings, launched Stomp in June 2006. Within half a year it was attracting 300,000 visitors a year and the website is now receiving an average of 3-4 newsworthy pictures a day; an excellent source for online news.

Sites like Stomp are generating increasing popularity as the service of citizen journalism becomes widely known. The concept of members of the public playing an active role in the process of collecting and reporting news is an excellent tool for both media outlets and people who have an interest in journalism but perhaps not a qualification.

 The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that the public, who have free speech, would like to know. The people that were formerly known as the audience can now use the tools of modern technology to share a photo of a local newsworthy event, or even fact check a story read in a mainstream newspaper and correct it.

James Farmer, journalist for The Age, thinks that the material the website receives from citizen journalism is great. “Often the grainier and more ‘in-the-moment’ the better. It can lead to stories we’d never otherwise have and frequently – especially in the case of VG and the Boxing Day tsunami – beat other news sources in terms of speed and unique content,” he says in an article on their website (read the article HERE)

You can create news at theage.com.au at

http://www.theage.com.au/scoop/

 SMS or MMS – 0450 93 93 93

 Emailing scoop@theage.com.au

 Or Calling (03) 9601 2250

References

http://blogs.theage.com.au/media/archives/2006/10/citizen_journal.html

http://www.nataliedee.com/123107/ugh-journalistic-integrity-is-BORING.jpg

 Quinn, S. (2007). “Citizen journalism gets things done in Singapore as digital revolution moves forward” in Innovations in Newspapers 2007.

The week 7 reading, ‘More tools for reporting’ capitalises that the history of journalists’ adoption of newsgathering technologies contains a continuing theme; reporters will embrace new tools if they are relevant. Essentially, this is if they make the job of storytelling easier – and if the tools themselves are easy to use.

Quinn (2009) says that some powerful digital technologies have become available to reporters over the past few years, one of these being online video and multi-media. Over the next few years journalism will transform itself from its current print emphasis to a focus on a combination of print and multi-media, delivered online. Consequently, as this happens newspapers will be competing with broadcast companies to be first with the news.

I myself find it hard to believe that this change could come around so quickly, before the spread of the internet broadcast news owned breaking news. Radio could interrupt programs to announce the latest news. Television could go live if executives considered the situation appropriate, but only if they had a camera crew at the location. Meanwhile, newspapers had to wait until they were published.

Now newspapers can break news online, which will often be ahead of radio and television, especially with the convergent use of mobile phones. Check out the latest news videos from the Geelong Advertiser at http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/videos/news.html

References

 Quinn, S. (2009). To come Available as a pdf via DSO.

This week 6 reading discusses the implements and methods to retrieve and report news online. One of the terms that I was unfamiliar with when the different types of blogs were described was ‘podcasting’. After further investigation, I found that a podcast was basically just a verbal blog, with authors recording their words rather writing them.

 According to Quinn (2009), podcasts can summarise the day’s news, while others provide radio-style programs complete with interviews of reporters and newsmakers. Listeners are able to listen to the podcast online or download the file onto their computer or music players for offline use. The podcast label was generated by the fact that the original podcasts were broadcasts developed in late 2004 for iPod’s, consequently mixing the two; pod and cast.

Wanting a sample for myself, I accessed Google and thought of something popular that could possibly be interesting enough for a podcast. Being a bit of a Harry nerd myself, I typed in Harry Potter and went to his number one fan site, MuggleNet. MuggleNet.com’s podcast, appropriately titled “MuggleCast,” is an informative talk show dedicated to everything Harry Potter. Coincidently, I am now hooked on another facet of today’s incredible technology. Enjoy the latest episode of the Harry Potter MuggleCast here:

Episode #181: Nothing Less Than Ultimate
Posted on 27 Sep 2009 by Andrew

Listen

References

 http://www.mugglenet.com/mugglecast/episodes.php

 Quinn, S. (2009). “New tools for reporting” is available as a pdf via DSO.

This week’s reading ‘OhmyNews in South Korea’ paints a picture of how Korean Media landscape has changed over history. Previously, Korea was subjected to excessive media censorship by the government, and it wasn’t until the late 1980’s that Political Liberalization loosened the media restraints.

By the mid 1980’s, censorship of print and broadcast media was at its prime, and had become one of the most widely and publically criticised practices of the government. The government went at lengths to shut down moderate newspapers, and even arrested reporters and publishers. Almost two decades later, the media has loosened its restraints on political and economic censorship.

A leader of the revolution and founder/CEO of OhmyNews Oh Yeon-oh believed that as a tax payer, he had a right to the vast reservoirs of public information within government agencies. He created the OhmyNews website with the idea that ‘every citizen is a reporter’, and gave citizens an outlet to report journalistic pieces without university degrees or credentials. TIME magazine ran an article on one of the OhmyNews citizen’s reporters Kim Hye Won and called OhmyNews a ‘revolution’ for the media market (Read the full article HERE).

The article explains that Hye does not look like your typical journalist; she looks like a Korean housewife. With the help of OhmyNews however, more and more journalists are breaking the mould and beginning to look like this. With 47,000 amateur journalists all over Korea, Oh Yeon-oh and OhmyNews has helped citizen journalism become a mainstream recognized form of journalism. Not only has OhmyNews created waves within the industry it has also had a positive effect on everyday people as well.

References

http://www.thepomoblog.com/img/ohmynews.jpg

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1570733,00.html

 Quinn, S. (2008). Chapter 7: “OhmyNews in South Korea” in Asia’s Media Innovators, Konrad Adenaueur Foundation, Singapore.

In this week 3’s reading ‘Free! Why $0.00 is the Future of Business’, the Gillette example demonstrates that if a product is initially provided free to consumers, a trend may be developed for the desire or need for that product. Consequently, consumers will be willing to pay for this product if the free access is then taken away. This was proven when the razors were sold in bulk so they could give them away with products from packets of gum, bank deposits to marshmallows. By giving these away, Gillette created a demand for disposable blades.

The discussion of ‘freeconomics’ in this week’s reading coincidently coincided with an announcement from Rupert Murdoch stating he would be introducing charges for access to all his news websites, including the Times, the Sun and News of the World by next Summer. Murdoch believes that this action will be the solution to the large drop in newspaper advertising in the times of the global economic crisis. Murdoch said ‘Quality journalism is not cheap. The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive distribution channels but it has not made content free.’ (Accessed 07/08/09).

These examples are both based on a business model that is now the foundation of some entire industries. In Anderson’s article he says; ‘Give away the cell phone, sell the monthly plan; make the videogame console cheap and sell expensive games; install fancy coffeemakers in offices at no charge and you can sell managers expensive coffee sachets.’ (Accessed 07/08/09).

All in all, it appears that ‘free’ is actually the future of business, at least until the public desire a need for the product. We have been spoiled with free, quality news online and now it’s time to pay for what we regularly enjoy and use.

References

Anderson, C. (2008). “Free! Why $0.00 is the future of business” in Wired online at http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free

http://blog.journalistics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/money.jpg

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/06/rupert-murdoch-website-charges

The creation of blogs, podcasts and ‘have your say’ pages on news websites means that the concept of the public playing an active role in collecting and disseminating news is becoming more and more apparent every day. Although Citizen Journalism will not be taking over the world anytime soon, it will certainly play a larger role in the news business as the media world charges into the future, and takes them with it.

According to Matthew Eltringham who runs BBC News UGC (User Generated Content) Hub, information that citizen journalists provide is a ‘fantastically rich source of content for all BBC’s news output’. The UGC Hub manages thousands of emails, video clips and pictures sent daily, and also monitors opinions and experiences on the sites message board. The news outlet cleverly uses the audience’s opinions, appealing to the public and inevitably selling more. But who is the journalist here? Ordinary citizens who relate their every day experiences online, or those who collect them and pass them off as news?

The development of convergence means today we have mobile phones equipped with as much as a camera, video camera, sound recorder, internet and email all in one device. These are all the basic tools in putting together a piece of news and as most people carry one with them everywhere it is becoming more and more common for citizen journalism to emerge. As citizen journalism begins to surface however, journalists must now be careful to cipher through information to ensure that it is newsworthy.

References:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rro/lowres/rron312l.jpg

Quinn, S. and Quinn-Allan, D. (2006). “User-generated content and the changing news cycle” in Australian Journalism Review, volume 28, number 1, pages 57-70. Available in Deakin library as an e-reading.