Saturday, September 1, 2012

Examples of Media Convergence and Multimedia Journalism - Rosetta Ragusa


An example of convergence of industries and their different technologies would be the partnership of Good Morning America (ABC News) with Yahoo! News. Good Morning America operates as a television program distributing news to viewers. Yahoo! operates as an online media source that distributes news on the web. These two industries came together to share content in two different platforms:  http://abcnews.go.com/US/abc-news-yahoo-news-announce-online-alliance/story?id=14650998 and http://gma.yahoo.com/.  In importance, these are two different industries with two forms of technologies partnering to distribute news to consumers.  A similar example of convergence is exemplified in the textbook, Convergent Journalism: An Introduction by Stephen Quinn, “ He said his company had acquired companies such as the Discovery Channel to allow Times journalists to tell stories in print, online, and on television. (Quinn, 10). “ This example is similar to the example I gave because it consists of two different industries with two different platforms to come together and partner and share news distribution. Last, Good Morning America and Yahoo! are two different industries that have partnered to share news and to distribute news through television broadcasts and online media.
           An example of a multimedia journalism would be recent graduate from California State University, Northridge Liberty Zabala.  She is a multimedia reporter at KCOY Central Coast News in Santa Maria, California who has to produce, shoot, and write her own news packages on a daily basis. She has to produce her story idea then go out and shoot the story. She also has to then go live from her story site which somehow she is able to do by herself. After her live portion is shot she has to go back to the station and write up her story for the stations website. For instance, here is a story that she reported for television viewers and later for web consumers: http://www.kcoy.com/story/19422800/santa-maria-and-lompoc-sales-tax-revenue-up.  She is what the textbook describes as, “…backpack journalism. (Quinn,6) and “ This takes place at the reporting level and is Gordon’s term for situations where media companies require reporters to have multiple skills. (2003, p. 69 / Quinn, 6).” Here Liberty is considered a multimedia journalist who is in charge of her story’s production from idea to live broadcast and also has to distribute the news on the stations website for other purposes of consumption. This is an example of multimedia journaism because of the different platforms being used by Liberty as a multimedia journalist.
- Rosetta Ragusa

3 comments:

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  2. I also wanted to add that Liberty's station is an example of multimedia journalism in action. Her station partners with another FOX station in Salinas, California. They both share information and rely on each other on a day to day basis. This is the cooperation of multimedia journalism in action.

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  3. Yes, GMA and Yahoo! News working together and sharing content is a terrific example of media convergence. And your description of Liberty's reporting position certainly illustrates the demands placed on many journalists today. She must work very hard! (And thanks for adding the info about LIberty's partnership with Fox...interesting.)

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