Page 168 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

rather than when you return to the newsroom. Get as much of this
information in digital form as possible. Always ask for digital files,
and carry a thumb-sized storage device on your key chain for those
occasions when officials offer you access to their computers. As of early
2005 most suppliers were selling 1-gigabyte key-chain storage devices.
Accept paper documents as a last resort.
Carry a small digital voice recorder or mini-disc at all times. You can
record interviews or capture actuality. Short audio files can be effective
on the Web to deliver sounds of dramatic events. These files are also
easier to download and post than video. Remember to get plenty of
storage space on your recorder—seek a minimum of 1 hour in high-
quality form, and up to 4 hours in lower quality. Remember also the
value of images to jog our memory, so take lots of photographs with
your portable digital camera. It costs nothing because you’re not using
film, but the images, no matter how blurred, may help you remember
vital information. Know how to set your phone’s ringer on silent if
you have to attend meetings. One of the keys to being a multimedia
journalist is knowing the potential of your tools and how best to use
158 them. As ever, training remains important.
Communicate constantly with your assignment editor or newsflow
manager. Remember to ask them what they need in terms of images
and audio. Think of yourself as their eyes and ears. These editors and
managers are in constant contact with the newsresourcer or librarian,
so they often have a better idea of the overall picture.
Your aim should be to avoid producing print, broadcast, and online
versions of a story that tell the story in the same way. Always think
in terms of the strengths of each medium, and how best to use those
strengths for the stories you plan to tell. The best convergent journalism
offers the audience a variety of complementary, not repeating, infor-
mation on a variety of platforms. Brainstorm with colleagues before
reporting on a story so that you can hear their ideas on how to tell it.
If collaboration isn’t possible, mind maps are useful tools for organizing
your ideas and generating new ones. See the books of Tony Buzan such
as Use Your Head (1989) for more information. Remember, you are
either expanding or contracting. This is one of the most exciting times
to be a journalist.
Journalist and educator Jane Stevens (2002) believes that con-
vergence and multimedia will change “the face, heart, and guts of
newsrooms” during the next 20 years. In the early 21st century, would
a news executive consider hiring a reporter who did not know how