Photojournalism by Chris Vlahos

Articles, “The Great Picture Hunt” and David Snider’s Street pictures discussed the essence of photography. Photography is writing with light, which is evident when looking at Snider’s collection of photographs. Reading David Snider’s introduction reminded me a lot of myself, and my passion for sports casting. As a broadcaster I am trying to tell the viewer or listener a story with my words, whereas Snider is tells stories with his camera. The first photo in Snider’s collection could possibly tell the story of a man who is ice-skating by himself and loving every moment of it. The man looks as if he is at peace and acting like a child, without a care in the world.
David LaBelle’s article is more about the techniques of photography and the characteristics that make a good photojournalist. In his article, LaBelle sights curiosity, as one of the main traits a photojournalist must posses. I believe that holds true for all good journalists. The best journalists are those that are inquisitive and observant. A journalist that is not curious is a journalist that may get a few good stories, but stands less of a chance finding a great story.

I agree with the opinion of what Stevens argues. As the technology develops, integrating its technology into a news room is inevitable. As she said, the ability to use the multimedia tool like video, still camera and audio is necessary for the journalists. This argument can be understood if we recognize that audiences prefer to follow up the news made by the multimedia reporting. At least, it will happen in the near future if you don't agree with that. Thus, it can be found easily that "Over the next 20 years, if economic conditions don't worsen and technological developments continue apace, the content of the newspaper and the television news shows are likely to be delivered principally over the Internet.".

On the other hand, the argument of Stone doesn't make sense to me. Her argument is full of the fear that the journalists should be well equipped to use the multimedia tools- it may result from the hope that some journalists don't want to do. 

There is no an explaination of why the backpack journalism is ridiculous in her article. - the cost of producing the multimedia, which is the concerns of the CEO of the news organization is a non-sense in terms of the way of meeting the expectation of what the audiences want to see and listen to.

Backpack Journalism Response

Kelsey Waananen

I’m a believer in what Jane Stevens has to say. I embrace the sentiment that backpack journalism is here to stay and not just because I want to feel better about how I chose to attempt to make an income, but because it has already proven its endurance.

“Backpack Journalism Is Here to Stay” was posted in 2002 and in it Stevens discusses that “over the next 20 years, if economic conditions don’t worsen and technological developments continue apace, the content of the newspaper and television news shows are likely to be delivered principally over the Internet.”

By golly, seven years and a droopy economy later, it seems that she’s quite right. Now, it can be argued what is meant by ‘principally’ but in 2002 I doubt anyone could have fully embraced even the concept of something such as the iPhone let alone have known how many people actually demand to own one. Technology has not slowed and as long as people are provided with easy ways to access what they want, they will. That’s the beauty of our market economy- the demand for multimedia news is there, and we are expected to rise to the occasion and supply it.

However, Stevens describes certain conditions under which backpack journalism must operate that I think are crucial to ensure its longevity.

There will be specialization. Any argument saying that one person is not enough is missing the point. Backpack journalists will learn how to do everything to help enhance the skills of fellow journalists, not to be expected to do everything alone. A journalist can choose to operate alone, should a situation call for that but I don’t see it as being the norm.

There will be teamwork. A team of people who are completely competent, at the very least, in multiple ways to capture and relate events? Please, show me a more unstoppable force. If one person isn’t able to capture/ didn’t notice something key, chances are the other members will be able to. The potential in stories will be more fully realized.

There will be training. It will need to be constant training because as she stated, what’s happening is “the evolution of an entirely new storytelling medium.” The skills required are innate in few but they can be cultivated in many, so long as the subjects prove willing to learn and adapt.


So I suppose what I really mean to say is- bravo, Jane Stevens, bravo.

Backpack Journalism

J.T. Burns

The prospect of backpack journalism has proven to be a frightening thought for some in the journalism world.  Reporters who are able to shoot and edit video, write print stories, and take still photos make some think that the quality of journalism will ultimately suffer.  However, the growing consensus is that backpack journalism will continue to make its mark on newsrooms across the country.  

As someone who has grown up with the Internet, I can comfortably say that I am representational of the majority of college students in how I get my news.  Newspapers and traditional news broadcasts are simply not that relevant anymore.  The internet is the ultimate destination for instantaneous news updates.  Through the internet, users can watch video clips, listen to audio, and read a traditional print story, all at one destination.  Although some "old-timers" may want to resist this change, the fact is that it has already occurred.  Like it or not, backpack journalism will play a major role in how citizens get their news in the future.

Like any experiment, backpack journalism has many problems.  But as time goes on, these problems will begin to fade as journalists become better trained and technology becomes easier to use.  It is impossible to know what the future holds for the journalism industry, but what is clear is that to survive, we all need to be willing to forget old habits and keep a focused eye on the future.

2029: A Multimedia Odyssey

I really enjoyed reading the Martha Stone article and think it is a great depiction of the lives and workloads of backpack journalists and multimedia journalists. Although, I think Martha is thinking too much about the present rather than the future of multimedia journalism. She obviously feels that the average journalist cannot perform the multitude of tasks it takes to make exceptional journalism, and for the time being, she is probably right. But why not in, say, 15 to 20 years? Technology is advancing at an incredibly rapid pace and shooting video, editing video and audio, creating Flash, etc. is getting easier and easier for the average person to learn to do. Even now at the convergence program here at Missouri, we’re learning how to do all of these things quickly and professionally, and technology and knowledge of technology will only improve with time. Most journalists in the future will learn how to be more multimedia oriented and well rounded, so I believe backpack journalism will become incredibly popular. The article talks about equipment being bulky and the difficulty of one journalist carrying it around everywhere, but come on, the closest thing we had to an Ipod 20 years ago was a boom box. There’s no telling how lightweight and easy to carry all of the equipment a journalist needs will be in the future. By that time, you may be able to shoot HD video with a cell phone. And any journalist will most likely be able to send all of his/her photos, videos, and stories to the newsroom wirelessly in a matter of seconds, so journalism will be produced as it is happening and online journalism will be the most dominant form of journalism. I definitely think do-it-all journalists will be widespread in the not so distant future and the ability to technologically multitask will be a necessity.

Bear your backpack with pride!

I was looking forward to reading Martha Stone’s article, because I knew I’d disagree with it. As a master’s student, I am creating my own track of study that emphasizes new media and online journalism, in the hopes that I’ll be highly employable when I graduate. In other words, I want to be a backpack journalist—I want to be able to do everything—so naturally, Stone’s article wouldn’t make any sense to me.
But I was surprised that I found some of her points valid. Like when she wrote that it isn’t backpack journalists that can push media companies into the digital age, but “The real changes must take place with top-down management’s support and action… and a reorganization from monomedia silos to integrated multimedia operations and journalism.” I think this is an interesting point: Backpack journalists sure can do a whole lot of cool tricks, but they can’t single-handedly change the attitude, plans and budget of an entire media organization.
I also agreed when she wrote, “The development of multimedia journalism can’t be a bargain-basement proposition. It must be an investment.” The media needs to embrace the multimedia world—and that comes at a price. Fortunately, though, backpack journalists are a not-so-expensive avenue to help discover the Brave New World of multimedia: it’s like 4 journalists for the price of one! Take advantage of the sale, folks.
But I find agreeing too much gets boring, so I must say “Psh” and “Rubbish” to Stone’s claim that backpack journalists are “jack of all trades, master of none.” Please. Quit thinking of it in the old-school categorical terms, and think of backpack journalists as masters of multimedia. ‘Nuff said.

Backpack Journalism

Martha Stone takes her stance full throttle by quoting various experts who believe that we shouldn't expect journalists to take it all on in what's regarded as backpack journalism. In ten or fifteen years down the line, I think many of us will only laugh at these journalists who said that it's not plausible for us to become backpack journalists because it's much too overwhelming. 

Stone also argues that "the do-it-all journalists should be the exception, not the rule." With this, I side with Jane Stevens who approaches backpack journalism with a can-do attitude, knowing that it's inevitable. She implies that after all, if we don't learn to tackle these new forms of media, somebody will. So why not? Unlike Stone, we shouldn't quash backpack journalism's potential before we've even let it take off and thrive. And to know if it can thrive, I think we need more time. 

Even if the status of the internet's business model for media publications hasn't quite been solved, we can only choose to move forward and moving forward consists of tackling those new forms of online media. If we compromise our old ways of story telling to move forward, it will be a tremendous feat to work and live by new rules but it's necessary to take the risk and to believe in it -  and in doing so, we will be making an investment in the future.

I Lean Towards the Realistic

Both articles have a strong, firm position that is easily defensible and very well thought out. With technology becoming more and more accessible and integrated in the modern society, reporters will have to learn new skills in order to keep up. Adaption is the key to success.

With this in mind, I do believe that convergence journalism, or back back journalism as it is referred to here, will be the mindset of the future. But my idea is slightly different. Reporters will have new skills, but I do not believe that on average a single reporter will be able to handle the entire workload. A talented, determined few might be able to pull this off, but I am of the same opinion as Martha Stone on this. A single reporter will not be enough.

But, as I have said before, I do believe that the spirit of back pack journalism will be how reporting is done in the future. But instead of one person doing all the work, I think that instead it will be a small team of two or three reporters working in tandem. Instead of a team of six or seven, the number of people would be cut in half as reporters gain a variety of skills. This is what I see in the future. A small team of talented individuals working towards a story, each specializing in one or two areas but having some knowledge of all the other aspects of the job. Because of this they would be able to operate together cohesively and be able to touch up each other's work.

So I believe in the spirit of back pack journalism, but I also believe that most of the time one reporter doing all the work would be inefficient. The idea is good, but how it is put into practice and be truly effective will be a little different than how Jane Stevens envisions it. Teams will become smaller, but they will not go away. I don't think they ever will, really.

Backpack Journalism Is Here to Stay

Farrah Pappa

Backpack journalism is key in converging journalism at an efficient pace in order to incorporate a smaller labor force. I think that it's essential or at one's best interest to acquire all the necessary skills there are to learn in the journalism field in order to be on top. A journalist can become more self-sufficient and not rely on its peers when trying to meet a deadline. When one is on a tight budget as a reporter it is easier to be able to edit and cut the story then to hire someone else to finish the job. I like the strategies that backpack journalist’s use they are productive and aid in creating the ultimate story. For example, I admired the two methods that backpack journalists use to produce a story, which include a producer-driven story, and a reporter-driven story. I especially favored the process of a producer-driven story because all the different reporters can capture all sorts of ideas and perspectives. It's a bright way of developing a story because not every reporter looks at a topic the same way. When you put a group together to grasp what they feel is important on a subject, you end up with various styles and points of views being represented. Upon obtaining those numerous outlooks, the producer can then pick and choose which ones he feels are significant to the story. By having more reporters scrape up information on the subject, it provides the producer with a variety of styles to choose from when deciding on how to publish or present the story. I personally believe that we need more backpack journalists in the journalism world because it will evolve the journalism field into a resourceful organized career.

Brandon Twichell--Backpack Journalism is Here to Stay

-By Brandon Twichell

Jane Stevens' article about backpack journalism only reinforced my desire to want to become a backpack journalist. This kind of journalism is more important now than it ever has been. Readers, viewers, and listeners are always wanting more while newsrooms continuously cut jobs to balance their budgets. It is getting to the point where there might not be another option but to become a backpack journalist. 

As Stevens said, just because someone is a Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades does not mean that they are a master of none. That is the beauty of Mizzou's convergence program! We convergence students have a chance to learn a width of skills while having a depth in a certain area, whether it be print, broadcast, photography, etc. In this way we increase our chances of landing a stable job.

Backpacking Journalism and the New Frontier of News by Jacob Carah

Martha Stone and Jane Stevens both raise important points about the burgeoning significance of backpack Journalism. From where I stand, Stevens comes from a perspective where the journalist that is versatile in all mediums rules. While Stone's concern about the backpack journalist is a lack of quality and specialization that contends with the all in one skill set.

I agree with both of these ladies for nearly the same reasons on why they seem to have such differing arguments both for and against these Jack & Jill of all trade journalists. For instance Stone states that, "While some multimedia journalists can handle a variety of tasks efficiently and professionally, most will only deliver mediocre journalism." While I agree with this statement in regards to the short run and the current state of backpack journalism, I think over time the new breed of journalist will polish these skills that are becoming the new prerequisite for the 21st-century story teller.

Each of these arguments cut along a very close edge in that the rise of the internet was and is a game changer for journalism and the world. It has completely changed the way people on this planet interact with each other. In terms of technological prowess, a journalist regardless of emphasis should have at least some exposure to web design, video and audio production, editing and cross-medium story structure. Stevens writes that, "As important as it is to develop multimedia journalists, and journalists who know how to work in a team and share information with other journalists with different skills, it's just as important to grow a news organization to support them."

Evidence of the need for technologically savvy journalists is in the loss of jobs and circulation in the newspaper industry that must fall to a total rebirth in useful and practical online news providers. At the same time, individuals with these new skill sets cannot be the self-purveyors of the news. Its on this point of team based work ethic coupled with integrated skill sets that Stevens and Stone cross paths.

My final point rests on where this all began; the Internet like all new mediums before it has disrupted the status-quo and thereby forcing those in the industry to learn new skills. The Web has also opened new opportunities for young and old journalists to tell and provide stories in new and exciting ways. These changes do create challenges that must be met by team and individual alike, where even the handiest backpack journalist cannot rely on just a versatile skill set to bring the news. I see it as a time of renewal and catharsis that is fostering a better brand of Journalism.

Backpack Journalism Response by Lindsey Weygandt

Why master one skill when one can master several? I agree with Jane Steven's article because our job market is becoming more and more competitive. As a result of this, the ability to portray a story in various mediums is vital. I believe that through persistence, time, and effort journalists are capable of becoming a "jack of all trades." Convergence journalism is exciting because it offers many ways to convey information. Backpack journalism is essential because we live in a consumer based society that craves excitement and expects the media to portray information in a up-and-coming fashion.

Backpack journalism is here to stay, response from Manu Bhandari

Backpack journalists will definitely rule the roost in the coming future. Traditional media are already feeling insecure about sticking to a single medium, and they want to pull audiences of each other. This will make them inevitably embrace multimedia. However, like some others feel, it might be very challenging to be able to work efficiently though different media for journalists. Nevertheless, I don't think it cannot be done if journalists are trained properly. Jane Steven's concept of producer-driven and reporter-driven stories is also interesting.

Backpack Journalism Is Here to Stay! response by Jennifer Elston

After reading the two articles, I tend to agree with Jane Stevens, as opposed to Martha Stone's pessimistic view on backpack/convergence journalism.  The idea of being a part of this new wave of journalism and using different media to best capture and tell a story excites me.  However, I do agree with Stone's point that a convergence journalist simply can not do it all perfectly.  Other sequences have the opportunity to master one art, while a convergence journalist is exposed to all parts of journalism.  Part of me is frightened at the thought of successfully using all medias to capture a story.  What if I miss something?  Stone brings up a valid point when she asks "is a still frame from a video as good as a photographer's photo?"  However, I do believe in convergence journalism and Stone's article did not dishearten me greatly.  

Backpack Journalism: here to stay, somewhat....

I tend to agree more with Jane Stevens that backpack journalism is here to stay--to some extent. I think expecting a single person to be able to do every single aspect of a story is setting yourself up for failure. Although I think a journalist can be good at everything with the right training, I agree with Martha Stone that having one person cover an event well. Not only can they miss different angles and different perspectives, a journalist stretched too thin can't possibly do their best work. I think that while it's important to be able to do everything so that one can be a part of a team, like Stevens suggested, so that someone who specializes in video or writing can do that first, but also work together with others to create a balanced package. The idea of being required, as a journalist, to control every single detail of a multimedia story is a little daunting to me, although I think it's possible--it just wouldn't result in my best work.

Backpack Journalism Response from Meg Burcke

“Backpack Journalism is Here to Stay” by Jane Stevens appeared to have a greater understanding of the issue. Her experience as a multi-media reporter allowed her a clearer view of the issues involved in the transition from single platform reporting to multi-platform reporting. The fact that the article addressed the pressure to cut costs, while maintaining the validity of new media was impressive. I also enjoyed her projections about the world ahead, the reactions of early-adaptors vs. those seeped in tradition and the emphasis that this may be a step to the right answer. Time has proven Stevens’ theories, and drug others like Stone kicking and screaming along for the ride.

Backpack Journalism

Jane Stevens’ article really got me going. Maybe I’m still on a high from deciding that Convergence is the sequence for me, so any affirmation of my chosen career path makes me want to nod, smile and maybe even murmur “Amen!”. Yes, I did grow up in the Bible Belt.
What I loved the most about what she had to share was her insistence that being a “backpack journalist” is the opposite of mediocrity because it really is about wanting to be the best storyteller you can be. Like lots of other bright-eyed J-schoolers, I imagine working on stories that I really believe are worth telling. By training in multimedia journalism, you are essentially getting an comprehensive storytelling insurance policy. You will have the knowledge to discover the best medium for your story based on its content and intended audience, and the tools and confidence to follow the story from start to finish no matter what platform it goes out on. That doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone, but knowing what members of your team to call on when and for what purpose is a skill that requires understanding of the media in which your team members specialize. Isn’t that concept – believing in a story and wanting to do it right – totally contrary to mediocrity? Storytelling is only storytelling if the person you tell listens. A convergence journalist should be able to present their stories so that its audience will listen. In 2009, that’s more often a short video clip on a Webpage or audio you stream while at work than a newspaper or local news broadcast. Embracing that reality is what will set the best journalists apart from the rest in the coming years.

Chris Vlahos Backpack Journalism Is Here to Stay

Jane Stevens’ article, Backpack Journalism Is Here to Stay, is a well-written and informative article about the shift in responsibilities of a journalist. Stevens emphasizes the importance of versatility. I am majoring in Sports Broadcast, and I have interned at two major sports media outlets in Los Angeles. One of the most important things I learned while working at these two major media outlets was how crucial it is for a journalist to be almost like a chameleon in their ability to adapt to their surroundings. Many of the anchors I worked with never wrote script because someone else would do it for them, or they couldn't because they were poor writers. Stevens is correct in her assessment that convergence journalism is the way of the future for journalism. I enjoyed this article because I could attest to most of Stevens’ points through my first hand experience.