Media convergence
It’s hard
to specify exactly what media convergence is, since it is a constant process in
this technological age. Simplified it could be described as how media
producers, and sometimes consumers, uses different media platforms to create new
ways to experience media. According to Quinn and Filak there are many different
types of media convergence, such as ownership, tactical, structural and
information-gathering, to mention a few. An example of tactical convergence is
CNN Money, a website collaboration between CNN, Fortune Magazine and Money
Magazine: http://money.cnn.com/
The site
offers economic news as well as financial advice. By creating the site together
they are combining both their knowledge and their reach: CNN probably uses it
to get new content from the magazines, while the main purpose for the magazines
most likely is to expand their audience.
Multimedia journalism
Multimedia
journalism is one dimension of media convergence. Simply put it’s reporting
news across multiple platforms. The technological development the last two
decades has changed our view of traditional media and today the audience expect
more, regardless of media type. The first step is usually to make the content
available online, besides printing it, airing it or broadcast it, but it
doesn’t stop there. As a journalist today you’re expected to be able to do
everything within media: write, take photos, shoot video, create audio and so
on.
An example
of this is The New York Times. As almost every newspaper and magazine, The New
York Times is not only a print media in traditional terms. They have their own
website, which is constantly being updated, where they also have videos,
slideshows and several ways to interact. In mid-August they reported about
Pussy Riot, the Russian punk band who protested Putin and were sentenced to
jail. This article isn’t just a story in writing, there’s also a slideshow from
the trial, a video of the performance for which they were sentenced and many
ways to leave comments or share the story through social media platforms: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/18/world/europe/suspense-ahead-of-verdict-for-jailed-russian-punk-band.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
As I just noted in an earlier post, partnerships like your CNN Money example are great for enabling mainstream media to reach niche audiences (in this case, those following business news). And the NYT's coverage of Pussy Riot nicely illustrates multimedia storytelling.
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