Multimedia journalism
Multimedia journalism is the practice of contemporary journalism that distributes news content either using two or more media formats via the Internet, or disseminating news report via multiple media platforms.Multimedia journalists wear the hats of editors, producers, reporters and photographers all at once.First time published as a combination of the mediums by Canadian media mogul, journalist and artist, Good Fridae Mattas in 2003. It is inseparably related to the media convergence of communication technologies, business integration of news industries, and editorial strategies of newsroom management.
This area of journalism should be distinguished from digital journalism, which produces news content based on the Internet to generate popular participation.
Contemporary multimedia journalism practice implies its profound impacts in various aspects, including content recognition, journalism ideology, labour requirements, and audience-journalists relationship.
Overview
The term multimedia journalism is used to describe the emergence of the new genre of journalistic practice. Contemporary journalism studies define multimedia journalism in two ways, both emphasising on the rapid development of technology which facilitates newsroom adapt to contemporary convergent news ecology;.In the first definition, scholars believe that the World Wide Web is regarded as the fundamental vehicle used by news agencies, conveying information that comes in contact with the audience. Mark Deuze argues that multimedia journalism refers to news stories published on news websites enhanced by various media elements, including text, images, audio, video and other formats. Even though studies in this aspect illustrate the news landscape of online journalism since multimedia journalism exists on the web, these two forms of journalism should not be confused. According to Steen Steensen, online news stories are not universally driven by multi-modality, since they sometimes are only presented in text with images. Whereas multi media journalism contains more than two media elements, including but not limited to written words and photographs.
The first genre of multimedia journalism contains two basic storytelling formats: Christmas Tree and Embedded Multimedia Stories. The former refers to the multimedia elements are positioned "to the side of the main text story like ornaments hung on a tree". For example, videos, charts and images are stacked on the right side of the web page as the secondary role in the storytelling. The latter, conversely, privilege the role of multimedia elements in news reporting. Instead of being placed aside of the main news body, multimedia technologies are embedded into the coverage as an inseparable part of the reporting.
Secondly, as the result of media convergence, multimedia journalism is defined as the production and distribution of news coverage via a variety of communication platforms, such as newspaper, television, radio, websites, social media, and so on. In this case, multimedia journalists produce different format of news content with regard to various communication forums, leading from a mono media to a multimedia news culture.
Convergence
is a multi-dimensional concept defined by several scholars. It can refer to the combination of computing and information technology, communication networks, and digitized media content. Economically, convergence means the convergent products, services, and activities occurred with the development and popularization of the Internet. The inherent traits of the technology are regarded as the catalyst of a new model of journalism, multimedia journalism, which would challenge the traditional manufacture of source gathering, news reporting, and news distribution.In the news production process, newsroom convergence illustrates the degree of "interaction and cooperation among cross-media partners". It can be found in the main stages of the news production process: source gathering, information aggregation, news reporting, and news distribution. At the information-gathering level, Journalism collect sources for multiple platforms, as well as sharing stories with their counterparts. During the process of allocation and production, editors and producers decide the coverage of news stories, selecting sources from those gathered by journalists from different newsrooms. Finally, at the stage of distribution, news agencies disseminate news through various media platforms, including newspapers, websites, television, radio, and so on.
From an industrial perspective, large news agencies today are opting for more than one form of cross-media cooperation, employing journalists for a variety of news distributing platforms, including printing, broadcasting, and online disseminating. In other words, rather than emphasizing on a single media form, contemporary journalistic information is accessed to the audience through more than one channel. However, the practical operation of media convergence varies among different news organizations. Influential factors distinguish the shape and size of the convergence constituted by both internal practices and the external pressure. For internal factors on the one hand, an example would be the lack of consensus among the allocative and operational level, such as shareholders, editors, and publishers. External influences, on the other hand, are mostly came from the pressure of horizontal competition, political regulations, and the transformation of the news ecology.
From a business perspective, media convergence is regarded as a strategy for saving costs. Journalism as an industry itself, is inseparably linked with a business ends for generating high profit. Labors thus are required to proficiently produce multi-media news content with technical skills. As a result, an increase in revenue can be received when the news content is distributed efficiently through a variety of platforms.
Reasons for transformation
Multimedia journalism is perceived as a revolutionary transformation in information and communications. It does not only challenge the traditional newsroom organization and management, but also changes the existing business model. Driving by a sheer goal of keeping corporations profitable, today's news are not primarily expected to serve as a public good. In order to generate higher profit, news agencies are producing more content accessible to an expanded size of audience through various distribution platforms. The driving force of multimedia journalism includes two ends, a "push" end and a "pull" side.The "push" end refers to the news providers' intention that want to migrate readers from physical printing news media to digitized platforms. The rapid growth of technology and the popularization of the Internet have fundamentally affected the business model of journalism. Advertising as the main driving force of production, target audience can be expanded as the news content is distributed through multiple platforms. Even though physical newspapers have kept their prominent position in distribution, the profit from digital sales constitutes a large percentage of the revenue for the industry.
There is also a "pull" factor with respect to transformation of journalism. The emergence of digital natives who grow up with new media, speaking the digital language of computers and the Internet, make news providers adjust news formats. Young generations tend to be more proficiently engaged with new technologies, even spend their entire lives surrounded by digital media. With regard to those who are being a part of the "digital natives" instead of preferring traditional news coverage form, news agencies are adapting to the new environment to serve the various needs of audience.
Impacts
Impact on readers
News media as the vehicle that conveys information facilitate mass communication, does not only produce and distribute news, but also enhances the relationship between news providers and readers. Traditional journalism based on single medium defines the role of readers as the recipient and the consumer of information. Journalists thus serve as gatekeepers, deciding which source to cover, and what kind of information the public needs to know. News reporting through the television broadcasting, for example, is led by the reporter who is responsible for disseminating information to large audiences. However, with the development of technology, especially the Internet, the role of traditional news providers and readers are changed.Economically, the consuming behavior of mass audience is influenced by multimedia journalism. As the consumer of information, traditional readers are passively access to information since there is only single form of news product. Today's consuming practices have changed from passive to active since audience are able to select their preferred medium from a variety of options to receive information.
The audiences' everyday practices with regard to multimedia journalism is challenging the traditional relationship between journalists and readers. Before the introduction of digital technologies, news providers have realized that they need to broaden their readership scope by providing a forum for public discussion. Commentaries and editorial pages on newspaper are thus created for satisfying such needs; however, they are limited in size and accessibility. As news agencies are adapting to the trend of multimedia journalism, readers' voices can be heard more comprehensively. For example, the interactive feature of new media such as the Internet, especially social media, allowing journalists to directly communicate with their audience on the one hand, also enabling readers to exchange ideas among themselves on the other hand. The emergence of interactive technology therefore undermines the classical news agenda. Multimedia journalism converts readers to collaborators, which generates greater contact between journalists and their audience. Audiences are able to access information via more than one platforms as well as comprehending news information in detail. In addition, multiple discussion forums provided by journalism, such as the online comment area under each news report, enabling direct communication between readers and journalists.
Today's information culture embedded in the computer-mediated news production also leads transformation in the news habit of individuals. Firstly, the ways of how people understanding the news event and perceiving the world are shaped by images and video, no longer depending on texts. Evidently, As Stephens argues, we are now witnessing the "rise of the image, and fall of the word", as contemporary multimedia journalistic sphere is dominated by images, whether still or moving. Secondly, multitasking is becoming more common as the consumption of information in a variety of media is increasing. They tend to produce and consume news content simultaneously through different media. For example, ordinaries can read the newspaper and listen to radio broadcasts at the same time. At this day and age, social media outlets also provide an additional avenue in which the general population can use to get their news fix from.