A quick look on Indeed or Simply Hired and the demand for Multi-media/Multi-platform journalist appears higher than the traditional news positions of newspaper or TV reporter. The traditional separation of Print journalist and Broadcast journalist is melting away as all news media races to control the digital format trying to gather new viewers by being more accessible to the internet generation. This is causing the internal makeup of news departments to change, as new skills are required of journalist to traverse the new digital landscape with a change in content delivery.
Twenty years ago, journalism schools at universities around the country were still teaching students by separating them by print, magazine, broadcast. Now many journalism schools, including the top-rated Missouri School of Journalism, are offering convergence or multi-platform journalism degrees as the demand for multi-tasking journalist increases.
“The majority of Americans (69 percent) use computers (desktop and laptop) to get news, “ according to a March 2014 report by the American Press Institute.
Most journalists are now being asked to engage their audience through social media and deliver the news in various platforms. News outlets now have a webpage and/or ap which content must now be provided for which ads are sold to bring in additional revenue. Some news outlets are offering paid subscriptions for digital access, claiming to offer top-quality or “special” content. That content usually comes in the form of media: photos, video, audio.
So this change in the way the news is consumed is changing the job a journalist must perform. Radio and TV reporters must now write a written story for their station website and ap, as well as post video and audio to enhance the user experience. Traditional newspapers have now turned digital, are creating video and audio content to post on their aps and websites as well.
James Harding in his January 2015 report for BBC.com “Future of News: News vs. Noise” writes, “The job of the news is to keep everyone informed – to enable us to be better citizens, equipped with what we need to know.” He states while the core job of the journalist won’t change, the way it’s delivered is rapidly changing. He also goes on to say the change in delivery will change the content of news because it will be more tailored to the individual news consumer. Harding believes journalist specializing in data analysis and investigative reporting will become more important as the news outlets will look to generate “special” content they can promote as exclusive.
The news industry is heading this direction in some sense as is seen in the current demand in openings for multi-platform journalist with some specializing in investigative reporting.
The trend seems likely to continue because according to the 2014 Digital News Report by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism across the globe “one-third of 18–34 year olds say the smartphone is their main way of accessing digital news.” While the report states 49 percent of 18–34 year olds access their news on-line, only 15 percent of news consumers 55 and older access their news on-line. These means younger audiences are accessing their news in a different way and news organizations will have to continue to respond to that change.
References:
American Press Institute (March 17, 2015) Social and Demographic Differences in News Habits and Attitiudes http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/how-americans-get-news/
Harding, James (january 28, 2015) Future of News: News vs Noise BBC for BBC.com www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30933261
Reuters Institute For the Study of Journalism, Digital News Report 2014 http://www.digitalnewsreport.org