Convergence Production Analysis

For the modern journalist, being able to converge with cross-platform media is a must. The near-dominance of the Internet has meant that news is digested in a variety of different ways, and print/TV/radio blueprint is becoming increasingly archaic.
The ability to work with video and audio editing software, online print, and then being able to assimilate the three in an online environment is no longer the prerogative of a journalists trying to become more hireable. Rather, it is a necessity in the age of a modernised mass media.

On a wider scale, convergence can be seen everywhere. Smartphones such as the Blackberry and iPhone can send e-mail, take pictures and video, browse the internet, store and play back MP3 files, act as GPS devices, and so much more. In a relatively short space of time, the average gadget enthusiast has gone from anorak pockets loaded with an array of gizmos, to just the one.

In my mind, the BBC and the Guardian are nationwide, if not worldwide leaders in journalism convergence. Their websites are full of stories incorporating print, audio and video content, as well as linking together stories with informative features and comment sections.

Interestingly, in 2007 the government set up a think-tank to monitor and discuss the implications of media convergence on consumers. The panel's deliberations will help to shape future policy development in the media sector, which may lead to a new Communications Act before the analogue TV signal is switched off in 2012 (Chris Tryhorn – ‘Government thinktank [sic] to tackle media convergence issues’ – The Guardian, 2006).

Practicing convergence in a student environment proved to be, at first, a struggle. I found that people were quite protective over there work, and reluctant to share and share alike, which defeated the object of the days from the get go. The biggest problem I found was the relative inequality of the four disciplines.

Radio, which had the shortest and busiest day, was constantly harassed by the other three disciplines for audio content to be used in the early TV bulletin and as accompaniments for online news stories and features. In contrast, Online News and Features had days longer than any I have experienced working at a local newspaper, and lacked much of the impetus that would be present in a newsroom, such as press releases, and contacts who were willing to actually talk to students.
However, I do not think there is any way possible, aside from actually broadcasting the bulletins and a wider non-student readership of buzz, to encourage sources and contacts to talk more freely to student journalists, and this is just one of those things which will not change.

Over the course of the 8 weeks I found that I was comfortable in both organisational roles, and working semi-independently as a reporter.

When I was Sub-Editor for Online Features, I enjoyed the task of editing pieces of work as they came in, helping people pitch ideas for features and writing my own at the same time. As I said, with the two online days, it was necessary to find ways to flesh out the day to keep active for the full eight hours.

With regards to Radio and Television, I found myself working best either on my own, or with one other person, having been given the time and space to get on with our own story and plan our day accordingly, and to deadline. I believe this is because print is my foremost speciality, and being given breathing space to work things out was necessary for me to put together good packages.

With regards to learning about convergence, I believe that it is essential for student journalists to have training in as many disciplines as possible. This would not only make them more hireable, but also improve the quality of content created no end for the reader, listener or viewer. I am a strong believer in the multi-format media and its benefits to the public.
Were I to run the days differently, I would have included a group work mark. As the point of the exercises was to converge, I think it would have been a good idea to note exactly what was being shared between the groups. Possibly giving marks for each group to have converged with every other group at least once? I think this would have shifted the work ethic of the students over from focussing on getting their own content ready on time, to working more as a group unit and creating a successful working day for the whole team, and the whole year.

I realise that this blueprint would mean increased pressure on the executive editors and a greater level of administrative work, so that the marking would be accurate and representative. However, I genuinely think it would place more emphasis on convergence in practise from the students’ perspective.

From a personal viewpoint, my main problem over the course of the eight weeks was general drop in motivation as the day went on. This was not so much the case in TV and Radio, where deadlines had to be kept. I think the use of deadlines throughout a working day is a good way of generally keeping up students’ work rates. The areas I found this to be more problematic in were the Print days. I think also, it was not just myself who experienced the serious drops in motivation towards the end of the day.

A possible way of combating this would be to do as Dan Hogan did, and take reporters around Bournemouth and Poole. Not only does it break up the day by getting people out of the newsroom – which can be a serious drag – but it also encourages better journalistic practise, and stops students ripping stories from BBC Dorset, The Bournemouth Daily Echo website and press releases found online.

In the future I would like to work harder on my performance in the Broadcast disciplines. It is all too easy to slip back into the medium that you prefer, and I am guilty of doing this. The possibilities available when using cross-platform media for the same piece is endless, and I believe the simple addition of a voice interview attached to a piece of copy, or using video footage to embellish a news article or feature can easily make the difference between readers being bored stiff, and genuinely interested in the piece they are reading.