A lot has changed in the media workplace since this photo was taken of a newsroom in the 1950's. Obviously, technology has played a significant role in bringing about that change. For one, it has redefined the job of "journalist" in today's society. How do you think your first job will be different from those who entered the journalism profession sixty years ago? What do you believe is the toughest challenge you will face in your career as a journalist?
Yes, technology has played a big part in the changes journalism has undergone, but I think it's the change in the audience that is more notable. People demand news when they want it, in the format that they want. When I think about journalists of the past, I picture a "boys club" that wrote what they wanted (often ignoring segments of the population) and when they wanted (daily newspapers and tv news programs that only aired at limited times.)
ReplyDeleteJournalists today need to understand and embrace the changing audience. They must be willing to explore stories they might have ignored years ago. And they must provide news when the audience wants it.
I think the biggest challenge I will face in my journalism career is learning and using the technology. I have to admit, technology is not my strong point. I'm actually a little afraid of it. But I feel it's something I need to look past if I want to proceed with this career.
With the advancement of technology improving and changing almost daily, I think the biggest challenge in the newsroom will be set to the tone of, who can find information the fastest - with it still being news worthy, as I am sure this has always been an issue in the newsroom. But with news pushing in and out almost as fast as lightning, journalist are challanged by how fast their information technology skills are.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when my journalism career begins I am sure I will have many more challenges, such as, proof reading my work before I turn it in, and double checking my sources, to name a few.
Let the challenges begin!
The job I am seeking was not in existence sixty years ago. It is only because of technological advancements that I even have the opportunity to seek a position in the production department doing visual and web design.
ReplyDeleteI believe my biggest challenge will be accepting the use of social media sites for business communication. To me, sites such as facebook and twitter were meant to be used for informal communication. Unfortunately, many businesses have chosen to lower their level of professionalism by using these mediums in order to broaden their audience.
I feel as if sixty years ago the news was able to set their own time for delivery. However in my opinion people today are not as flexible and are wanting the news on their own time as opposed to sitting around and waiting for it to come on at specific times set forth by the news media companies. The advances in technology has made it possible for the audience to access the news at a time and place comfortable and fitting to their daily schedules.
ReplyDeleteI believe the most challenging and timeless aspect in news is maintaining an unbiased tone. It is difficult to keep your opinion and emotions out of your work, especially if you are passionate about writing. It doesn't take much to develop a sensitivity about a topic you have to immerse yourself in for the sake of a well-developed story.
Today, journalists are expected to be able to do more than just write. They must be able to write "traditional news stories," as well as web stories, take their own photos, conduct research, and update stories online as new information is available. Technological advancedments have changed the way journalists do their jobs. Now, there is an overwhelming amount of information avaibale online, and journalists must be able to decifer this info and be able to use it to contribute to their stories. They must also stay connected to their audience with new media such as social networks and blogs. I'm looking forward to working the in field because I think it will be challenging. I hope to work in community relations, and I think a big challenge will be to remain passionate about my job while keeping my personal thoughts/feelings out of my work.
ReplyDeleteSixty years ago, the news was delivered to audiences through a daily newspaper or an evening news program. There were so few sources for news that the only competition that existed was among newspapers and the few major networks that were on air.
ReplyDeleteToday, on the other hand, people have the option to obtain news through a plethora of diverse sources- even social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. I think with these new and diverse media outlets, the biggest challenge will be not just delivering news quickly and accurately, but finding unique angles that will shed new light on stories that so many outlets are covering.
In my opinion, nothing is more annoying than ten different news stations or websites covering the same exact story from the same exact same angle, so I think it is important to look past the obvious and delve into deeper issues of news stories. Keeping the audiences attention while doing so, obviously, is another challenge in itself.
The main difference between today and that picture is that THERE ARE WOMEN IN THE NEWSROOM!! But besides that....
ReplyDeleteToday journalists are expected to be multitalented. We're supposed to be able to write, take pictures, shoot video, and lay it out on page and the web. Not to mention that journalism isn't really broadcasting anymore as it is narrowcasting. People get there news from places that appeal to them, I get my news off Yahoo. Some people only watch FOX News.
60 years ago people took the daily paper as gospel. There wasn't a lot of contradiction between news outlets because there weren't so many of them out there. 60 years ago, journalism was probably more about the news itself and who it would effect than the funding and what happens if you lose your sponsors.
It's hard for me to answer the last question because I don't really see myself going in to journalism. I see myself going in to publishing. It's going to be hard to find a job in just one specific field. Someone will hire me based on all of the things I'm capable of, and how much workload I can take. Not to mention the fact that Newspapers are going the way of the internet and traditional journalists could become a thing of the past.
At my first day of interning with News Channel 8, it was explained to me that jobs have been cut and filled by computers to cut overhead company costs. For this reason, I am unsure that I will be able to get a job in the field because of a few reasons: 1. Technological advances mean cutting people out of the equation. 2. Budget cuts mean the larger corporations will keep only those with the most experience and those that have been with the company the longest. My main goal is to change the way of the news. I would like to see stories with substance, in print and video. I think that the video has brought news media to a different level than anyone in the photo above could imagine, and because of that technological advancement, mass media will hopefully learn that new (fresh out of college) faces will bring positive change in the newsrooms! Good luck in finding work everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy first job in the journalism field I believe will be challenging. First is to find a job in this economy! Of the three ex-students that graduated from the Journalsim Department at USF, only one is working in this field. The other two are selling pharmaceudical medications. Second, the digital side of journalism is not my forte' but yet this is where the media is heading so my Visual Communications class will be my final chance to learn what I have not at USF. Saying that, I know I will find work in this field and am looking forward to it, whatever it may be!
ReplyDeleteNowadays journalists face a tough task in trying to appease an audience that doesn't really know what it wants. It seems as if some journalists have to 'dumb it down' with their writing and/or reporting in order to appeal to a broader audience. It is now imperative for all journalists to be multi-taskers and multi-talented. Reporters can no longer just write a feature, but they must work around the clock writing blogs, shooting videos, taking photos and writing for online. It's a never-ending 24 hour news cycle wherever you are in the world, and today's journalists work around the clock more than ever before. I believe my toughest challenge upon graduation will be to find the right opportunity and latch onto it. These days, a full-time job at a major newspaper may sound impressive, but what if the whole company tanks and 100 reporters are out of a job? Finding a career that entails all aspects of media, tv, radio, print, online, etc, will be essential in my job hunt. Being one-dimensional will only hurt you as a journalism major...and there is a reason why ESPN is the worldwide leader in sports because they stay current in all forms of multimedia, keeping stories from going stale in a society where there is constant clammor for more and more breaking news. Using visuals, commentary and social interaction gives ESPN the lasting power that always keeps it one step ahead of the competition.
ReplyDeleteI think that through these economic times and the shift from traditional news media to more online based forums we have heard a lot of talk that we need to be multitasking machines if we want to make it as journalists. And that maybe so for the time being, but once online media smooths out all the bumps, I think specialization will once again become more prevalent in the news room.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that in today's media we have many more outlets, mediums and forums for distributing news, and that a lot of journalist have to take on multiple roles in reporting content, but eventually people will begin to specialize more and more in these roles. I believe that specialization in journalism is the means to distributing the highest quality reporting to the public. But if it never regains economic viability, then the public will have to settle for sub-par journalism all for the sake of the almighty dollar.
I hope that one day as a journalist I can have a job where I specialize primarily in one area. And as technology changes we take on more roles than a journalist 60 years ago would have, but I hope that 20 years from now I don't have to be a wiz at reporting, photography, video, audio, editing and publishing just so a report can make its way to the public.
Technology has certainly changed journalism. Sixty years ago people got their news from the morning and evening editions of the newspaper. Today we live in a 24/7 news cycle where where CNN and Fox are on 24/7. You also have people logging on to news websites and blogs which you did not have sixty years ago.
ReplyDeleteI wan to become a sports writter because I have always been interested in sports. Sixty years ago this was a steady with any newspaper. In today's world I think this job has a lot of flexibility because it can stay with the tradtional newspaper but it is easy to transition it to websites and blogs which was not possible sixty years ago. I think we will see a major transition to the online world. I think the toughest job as a journalist will be to stay in the race to break stories while still checking your sources. There is always breaking news and every journalist wants to be the first to break the story. I think it will be tough to stay in this race and properly check everything
As technology continually advances the diversity in the delivery method of news expands.
ReplyDeleteThe medium in which news is presented to audiences has amplified throughout facets of print, broadcast, web and photojournalism.
Today, in order to be successful journalists are expected to have a grasp on all mediums of news delivery. Although it is important to possess specialties, journalists are expected to utilize all methods of publication and presentation.
The job of the journalist is to deliver news to the audience by whichever means best suits them. This implies that journalists may need to prepare the same story in different formats. A television breaking news story is written very differently from a newspaper publication. The audience is constantly usurping the latest breaking news and journalists must deliver by all methods of publication.
Today, newsrooms have also become more diverse. Women and minorities have taken a place within the setting and their presence has shifted the traditional status-quo. Stories have become more diversified and present a more accurate look into the lives of the people and events being reported on. Although most news rooms still hold their white male editors, the weaving in of minorities and women may be the catalyst to evoking even more diversified journalism.
I, personally, think my toughest challenge as a journalist will be emotionally removing myself from the situations and stories I am to be reporting on (when necessary). I plan on going into ministry and working over seas, yet my audience may not share my religious views or understand the severity of the issues I will be reporting on. To bridge this gap between journalist and audience I must present all my findings in an unbiased and informative way. By doing this I hope to stimulate a shared sense of emotion from the audience, not because I feel that way, but because my writing demonstrates it.
Back then things were a little easier. Though we have one giant resource that they did did not that being the internet, we have a lot more to worry about. Back in the 50's things weren't so "Politically Correct", journalists were making innovations and discoveries and really feeling out the way their profession would go. Their were a lot more grounbreakers and the stories were the news. There wasn't as much debate as to what qualifies as news and why and how we should word certain things in order to not be considered offensive. Though this advance is definitely for the better, I feel that with technological and societal advances, comes more rules and regulations and codes of conduct and what not. Also, with jobs becoming fewer and fewer it is also a struggle to even obtain a job, let alone keep one. Journalists have to be better than the best, whereas, I feel like in the "old days" writers could be just good and still keep a job. Though no one should strive to meet the standard of "just good", jobs that are impossible to obtain aren't the greatest either. Six of one, half dozen of another I suppose, which is part of the reason I am not going to be a journalist.
ReplyDeleteThat was an interesting article. Brian Stelter hit a lot of valid points about the changing news medias. I think the smartest thing we can do is become "multimedia" journalists. Like the article said, we can make our own jobs if there are none available. There is one thing I'm sick of hearing ... "journalism and newspapers are dying" I don't think that's the right attitude to have or to force onto others. Journalism is growing in different directions and it's transforming into different products. And maybe the newspapers just need to be redesigned into a more interesting and convenient package.
ReplyDeleteHaving worked at a couple different news outlets, I can say things are changing and they're changing fast. I remember when I first started at the Times when we used paper proofs and had pneumatic tubes delivering them to copy editors from composing. In all fairness, the Times was late to adopt to digital pagination but it still is vivid to think that much in the period of a couple years.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest challenge I think we all face as journalists is becoming diversified in all aspects of newspaper production. I doubt there will be the roles of reporter, designer or photographer for much longer. I think soon they'll all fall under the blanket term of journalist. One of the big reasons I believe this is the advent of digital distribution. With technology like the iPad and other tablets being released, It has become clear to me that physical papers will soon exist as a rarity in the journalism where most established papers will release there papers for instant wireless transmission.
Staffs will become smaller and it will require the journalist to be more active in learning all areas of their chosen field. On the upside, I believe this will create a huge rise in independent newspapers to challenge the the old established ones. No longer will the people have to pay to get their paper printed out for an area, just learn a bit of coding and a release a slick looking app and you can be a success.
The future is really unknown for journalism. I think that can either be the greatest challenge or the greatest opportunity for us. It's all depending on how you look at it.
-Leigh Armstrong