MEDIA CONVERGENCE
As
explained in Convergent Journalism by Stephen Quinn and Vincent Filak,
it is difficult to give one entirely precise definition of convergent
journalism. I think Henry Jenkins in Convergence
Culture explains it well as: "every important story gets told, every
brand gets sold, and every consumer gets courted across multiple media
platforms". Convergent media allows a fast circulation of media content
across systems and competing industries. It is representative of a cultural
shift in the media world, as it not only allows, but also encourages the
consumer to search for new information and make connections throughout various
media companies.
The
Courier Mail is an Australian-based newspaper, which now has an online website.
It highlights stories on topics that the desired consumers are interested in,
with links to various news institutions. For example the story of the death of
a well-known AFL (Australian football league) player was the headline story on
the 10th September. Clicking on the story links you to the story covered by a
competing Australian newspaper - Herald Sun. A link beside the story says
'Related coverage. AFL Player in Las Vegas Tragedy', and takes you to a video
on the story from news.com.au. There is a search bar that also allows consumers
to scan the website to find stories on one topic from various news
institutions.
The
Courier Mail merges with other competing institutions to incorporate a range of
media, from print to broadcast. Convergent Journalism is especially practical
for breaking news stories such as this AFL story. This website can provide the
public with the very earliest of information, as it has multiple media
companies to gain the story first from, if the Courier Mail themselves were not
first in covering it. News institutions converging allows cost reduction and
audience expansion, and of course, revenue making. It is not only beneficial
for the companies. Thanks to the revolutionary Internet, Convergent journalism
allows consumers to access mass amounts of information like never before:
quicker, more easily and more of it. For today's journalists, it's like having a
shared assignment desk.
www.couriermail.com.au
Story
on death of AFL player
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/port-adelaide-football-star-john-mccarthy-dies-in-incident-at-flamingo-hotel-in-las-vegas/story-fndo1wyv-1226470914423
Jenkins, H. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide.
Accessed via: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RlRVNikT06YC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=definition+media+convergence&ots=9A5HkAVxSu&sig=9i7v1mYb0bivmara8dVcDmMtixg#v=onepage&q=definition%20media%20convergence&f=false
Multimedia Journalism seems to be the way of the future for the media
world, as news is now a 24 - 7 medium. With continual advances in technology,
there are constant cultural shifts in the way the public consumes news. In
order to survive in today's growing world of free and accessible information,
news institutions have adapted to incorporate various multimedia platforms for
storytelling. Quinn explains in Convergent Journalism, that journalists
now have to produce multiple products for multiple platforms to reach the mass
audience with interactive content on a 24-7 basis. ABC (Australian Broadcasting
Corporation) news was traditionally an AM radio station beginning in the 1920's
in Australia. Now, the ABC operates over 50 local radio stations and multiple
television stations, namely ABC1, its original television service. The ABC is
reflective of a successful institution that has continually expanded due to its
adaption to changes in technology, and providing multimedia news. ABC news
online www.abc.net.au has provided an easy to use interface where the consumer
can select text or 'video, audio, photos' to access news. A recent story about Anglican priests
being defrocked over abuse claims is one example that has been made into a
multimedia story. On the ABC website, there is a text article on the story, as
well as a video including an interview with the priest. ABC also implements
social media as a tool to reach more consumers, posting on their FaceBook and
tweeting, with the link to the abusive priest story. Multimedia story-telling
allows news institutions to access a wider audience, find niche markets and
therefore create more revenue.
abc.net.au/news
Priest Defrocking story
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-10/three-anglican-priests-defrocked/4252742
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