Page 13 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

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What Is Convergence and How

Will It Affect My Life?

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Convergence is a revolutionary and evolutionary form of journalism
that is emerging in many parts of the world. As a student graduating
from a journalism program in the early 21st century, you need to know
about convergence because it is likely to influence the way your career
evolves. Over the course of the next decade, you probably will work
in several media platforms, perhaps with different companies, but also
possibly with the same company but doing varied forms of journalism.
All journalists need to know how to tell stories in all media, and how
to write appropriately for those media, as preparation for this new era.
What is convergence? Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
most definitions of convergence depend on each individual’s perspec-
tive. Indeed, convergence tends to have as many definitions as the
number of people who practice or study it. That’s because conver-
gence varies from country to country, and from culture to culture both
within countries and individual companies. Other influential factors
include laws that regulate media ownership and the power of digital
technology. The type of convergence that evolves in any given com-
pany will be a product of that company’s culture. As editor, John Haile
introduced convergence at the Orlando Sentinel in 1995. “The big thing
I try to emphasize with anyone looking at how to practice journalism
across multiple media is the critical need to address the culture of