I’ll admit it.
Even though I work at a newspaper, the Twitter app on my iPhone is one of the first things I peruse in the mornings to look for local, regional, national and international headlines.
Even though I work at a newspaper, which is the most traditional medium out there (the first newspaper — Publick Occurrences – was published in Boston on Sept. 25, 1690 and is often identified as America’s first newspaper), I interact with emerging media daily. I tweet from the scene of an accident, I post a story I wrote to Facebook, and I create news videos on my iPhone, which are then uploaded to YouTube.
Does this mean that the end of newspapers is in sight – when a journalist, like myself, interacts with emerging media? No, it doesn’t. It just means that traditional (old) media (newspapers, magazines, radio and television) must integrate with emerging media (social media, websites, email, videos, streaming media, mobile technologies) if they want to survive, and ultimately, thrive, which, might I add, is the end goal.
At my newspaper, all reporters have been asked to participate in social media. According to the American Journalism Review, other newspapers across the country are mandating participation in social media as well: http://ajr.org/2014/06/03/newspapers-staff-social-media-isnt-optional-mandatory/.
As part of our duties, we have also been asked to use our iPhones to create news videos. Last year, the Chicago Sun-Times let go it’s entire photography department and began mandatory training on iPhone photography basics: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/214954/sun-times-will-train-reporters-on-iphone-photography-basics/.
What other changes concerning emerging media are coming down the pipeline? Are these guidelines going to prove fruitful for us and other newspapers?
Only time will tell.
News Now: Emerging media and journalism 