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.