This may seem like old news, as for over the past few years the decline of print journalism has been extremely prevalent in our society. The statement ‘old news’ is part of the reason why convergence is affecting traditional journalism. As Jenkins (2010) stated, audiences will go almost anywhere to find the information and entertainment they need and want, which is part of the problem. In the past, audiences could only read the news by buying a newspaper, now; there are several, often easier ways one can find out what’s happening in the world around them (Bird, 2010).
When deciding who is responsible for this convergence, all fingers point to the audience. Internet usage has grown rapidly over the past several years (Internet World Stats: Usage and Popular Statistics, 2011), as has the popularity of Apple iPads and iPhones (Michaels, 2011); therefore it seems to be the public who craved this convergence of media. Newspapers and other forms of media are only created to satisfy the public; therefore, it should only be expected that publications would respond to trends and converge their media to suit the audience’s need and wants.
But what does this increase in convergence mean for the future of journalism? One can say that it will have a positive effect, as convergence has allowed audiences to receive their news like never before and has allowed them to become more involved and interested in the news (Bird, 2009) or one can argue that journalism shouldn’t completely converge, as traditional forms of media showcase a higher-quality standard of journalism, which is lacking in newer, more popular forms (Mosco, 2009).
In her case study, ‘Convergence Journalism: a threat to print journalism?’ Lydia Miljan (2008) states that convergence not only poses a threat to journalism itself, but also to the journalist. She says that as media platforms start to converge, fewer journalists are needed, as publications are now requiring many journalists to be a 3-way or a 4-way journalist, which means they must be multi-talented and be able to produce content for many different media platforms, not one just one. This means that publications require fewer journalists, as one journalist can apparently do the job of four.
In the past several years we have all experienced the rise of the blogger and the citizen journalist. Now it seems that anyone with a pen and paper, or more so a laptop or phone, can witness a newsworthy event and write about it and garner an audience. However, many traditional journalists argue that, “Amateur bloggers typically have no editorial insight, no training in the craft, and no respect for the new media’s rules and standards … blogs are poorly written, self-absorbed [and] hyper-opinionated” (Miljan, 2008). Although citizen journalists and bloggers may be seen as a threat, is there anything journalists actually need to be worried about? Would the public really prefer to receive their news from an unqualified writer compared to an experienced journalist? Statistics show that 80 per cent of bloggers actually have a degree or are currently completing one (Mershon, 2011); therefore maybe these new journalists should be seen as a threat to traditional ones.
The public can now access their favourite titles via so many different media platforms, such as iPhone applications, online versions and more. Although there are now more than 2 billion internet users around the world, statistics show that people still prefer to read their news in the print form (Langeveld, 2009). The answer to this convergence dilemma is perhaps that media outlets should continue to offer both print and online versions of their publications, as they need to satisfy all audiences, not just some. With all this amazing technology available, which has presented us with ways to receive our news like never before, why would we give it all up and go back to just traditional forms? If news had never moved online, the public would not have the say they do now, as audience members can now comment on stories, re-tweet them, etc. The Daily is a great example of how media convergence has given us a completely unique, virtual news experience that we wouldn’t get from traditional forms of media (See video below). The solution is that media should continue to converge, not compete with one another, after all, converge means to connect, not disconnect.
References:
Bird, Elizabeth. (2009). The future of journalism in the digital environment. Journalism, 10 (3), 293-295. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://jou.sagepub.com.ezproxy.bond.edu.au/content/10/3/293
Internet World Stats: Usage and Population Statistics. (2011). Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
Jenkins, H. (2010). Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Welcome to Convergence Culture. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/06/welcome_to_convergence_culture.html
Langeveld, M. (2009). Print is still king: only three percent of newspaper reading happens online. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/04/print-is-still-king-only-3-percent-of-newspaper-reading-actually-happens-online/
Mershon, P. (2011). Seven Reasons to Rethink your Blogging Strategy: New Research. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-reasons-to-rethink-your-blogging-strategy-new-research/#more-13010
Michaels, P. (2011). Apple reports record sales, profits for third quarter. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.macworld.com/article/161212/2011/07/apple_third_quarter_earnings.html
Miljan, L. (2008). We the Media - Convergence Journalism: A threat to print journalism? Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://theendofjournalism.wdfiles.com/local--files/lydiamiljan/lydia%20miljan.pdf
Mosco, V. (2009). The future of journalism. Journalism, 10 (3), 350-352. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://jou.sagepub.com.ezproxy.bond.edu.au/content/10/3/350
Rupert Murdoch unveils iPad newspaper The Daily. (2011). Retrieved February 6, 2012, from http://www.news.com.au/technology/tablets/ipad-only-publication-the-daily-unveiled/story-fn6vigfp-1225999145465
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