Journalism is changing dramatically – and old-timers in the profession must pay attention to stay ahead. Here are five steps many journalists would benefit from taking in the coming years if they want to stay in the A-league.
For those of us who call ourselves journalists, the radical changes in the media landscape right now are pretty scaring at times. Newspapers are struggling to survive and the media companies are facing tough competion on the web as well. Many ask who will pay for good journalism in the future.
I do not know the answer to that. But I have given some thought as to what journalists need to think about in order to make sure they keep ahead professionally in this new future.
Here are five steps many journalists should rush to take in order to have a chance to survive in the top field of the profession:
- Forget about one-way communication. Cooperate with your readers and bring their knowledge into your stories. Far too many journalists still don’t realize the paradigm shift which is taking place: Journalism is no longer a one-way street. Instead good journalism has turned into a continuous dialogue with the readers. Today readers want to be consulted. They want to contribute and be taken seriously. And they just don’t want to read journalists who think they are God on earth. This means good journalists today communicate with their readers in all possible ways: By e-mail, blogging, phone, asking questions in the stories, using relevant material from readers in their stories, admitting mistakes openly, asking ekspert readers for advice, being present in all kind of social networks, etc. We are talking about a major attituede change here: Jourrnalists are no longer the only ones who know.
- Focus your time and energy on the story first, not the media channel. It is always the good stories which will catch the readers’ attention. And good stories are not only told in one media channel. Rather they can play in a variety of ways in different channels. If you really have a great story to tell, it is thus plain silly to just prepare it for one media channel. Rather you should carefully consider each available channel’s qualities and characteristics in order to present your story to the widest possible audience. Remember: Your business in information, not any specific media channel. But in order to do your information business well, you sure need to know a lot about the different channels.
- No web experience yet? Shame on you! Beg your editor to let you work for the web site for a while. How is it possible that so many newspaper journalists worry about the future of their paper without even lifting a finger to gain personal experience working with the web site or for other media channels? I just don’t get it. If you have been working for the newspaper for years, now is the time to make sure you know about other ways of journalism as well. Go and see your editor tomorrow: Tell her how you love the newspaper, but now would like to learn about the other media channels. Ask to be transferred to the editorial staff of the web site for a year or two. You are not going to regret it. Actually I am pretty sure you will find it to be quite fun.
- Upgrade yourself on media production. You may not like it, but the journalist of the future will no longer only know how to write. Instead she will handle numerous tasks simultaneously. So you got to go out there and learn the tools: Taking photos, recording audio, doing video, knowing Photoshop, understand what can be done with Flash, using the mobile phone to take pictures and video, know what HTML and CSS is and what can be done with Javascript, understand principles of search engines, etc. Technology and journalism will walk hand in hand over the next years. You better embrace technology.
- Play and experiment. Changes are coming so fast that noone can claim to know it all. That means you might as well play a role in developing the future of journalism. Don’t just listen to your bosses or obey the “guidelines” of your newsroom. Look for and check out new ideas, take risks, be enthusiastic, promise yourself to try a new thing each week. If you adopt that attitude your chances for success will multiply. Because then you take part in forming the future rather than just adapting.
I could have added many other steps, of course. The most important point, though, is the following: Be proactive as journalist. Make the radical changes in the media landscape your personal friend, not your enemy. If you do that, you should be OK.
And there is plenty of advice out there. Here are some articles:
- The journalist’s guide to owning 2009 and beyond, by New Media Bytes.
- 10 hopes for journalists, by Save the Media.
- Learning how to make multimedia story decisions, by MediaShift.
- 10 changes in journalists’ roles, by O Lago.
- 10 new roles for journalists, by BetaTales
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
While I appreciate the spirit in which your piece is written, your point was lost in the plethora of spelling errors. This piece illustrates a point I have been trying to make for years…you lose credibility when your “journalism” is wrought with spelling and/or grammatical errors. When I began reading your piece, I was looking for a linkable reference to add to a piece I am writing about standards and quality. Instead of using you as an authority, I will use you as an example of how not to publish on the web.
Sammy,
Thank you for your comment. I can only apologize if the language is not up to your standards. I try to write without errors, of course. However, English is not my first language, which may be part of the explanation.
I hope you still find some useful content on this blog.
John
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