Page 50 - Convergent Journalism an Introduction Writing and Producing Across Media

WORDS: THE FOUNDATION STONE OF JOURNALISM

mass media in which everyone has a voice. The millions of words
added to the Internet each day demonstrates that people can fill space
with thoughts and ideas. It also demonstrates that a lot of people can
type. But can they write? The answer to that question is still up for
debate.
A quick scan of any one of these sites would bring a fourth-grade
English teacher to tears. Misspellings, grammar problems, and a general
lack of clarity are common. Perhaps the speed at which the ideas can
become postings contributes to the lack of coherent thought and well-
crafted writing. Perhaps the lack of editorial oversight leads to the
stream of errors and incomplete thoughts. Perhaps we need to go back
to the basics and assess how fervently and accurately we can answer
Hemingway’s question.
The purpose of this chapter is to outline why writing is important
in the age of the Internet, discuss some simple approaches to shaping
your writing, and provide you with a process for editing your work
before it goes out for public consumption. This isn’t meant to be the
definitive guide for writing, but it should at least outline why the skills
40 of a newspaper journalist are valuable to journalists in all media.

Technology and Toys Can’t Save You

A group of researchers from the University of South Florida set out on
a mission in 2002: to find out what people who hire journalists want to
see in a potential employee and to assess how important convergence
had become in journalism. The study surveyed hundreds of people
involved in journalism to ask what types of skills were most critical in
determining the success of a journalist.
The authors found that, even with technological options such as
multimedia production, the respondents overwhelmingly chose good
writing as the number one skill students needed if they hoped to get a
job in the field. A quote from one editor demonstrated how extreme
the need for good writing was: “I’ve worked in markets 170 to 20 and
having training in multiple media will not help you get a job, but being
a good writer will” (Huang et al., 2003).
Another study interviewed instructors from eight colleges with
national reputations for their journalism programs. The researchers
asked instructors about the value of convergence and whether it
belonged in the curriculum. Two factions formed: those who put a