“Different platforms to convey information”

By: Charlie Reisman on September 16th 2019

The way people receive news today is very different than how they received news just a few years ago. I typically read about news through a variety of outlets such as Instagram, television, magazines and newspapers. Of course you have to take everything you hear and read with a grain of salt now a days with the prevalence of “fake news” and nonfactual stories.  I will typically check at least one of these sources a day to keep me informed on what’s going on in the world. Everything now a days is on the internet very little is on paper. Technology has really change the way journalist write their stories. Wyss exemplifies this phenom through “students need a broad range of skills in writing short- and long journalism, including still photography, video, audio recording and ability to use social media” (Covering the Environment 196). The journalists have to balance a factual story with enough interest and intrigue to get the reader to read their piece and to read the whole article.

One of the most famous examples of integrating all of these forms of media was “The New York Times” multimedia story that included a compelling print story, coupled with videos and graphics (2008, 196). Viewers spent on average 12 minutes of the story which is a long time for digital journalism because they felt part of the story. Most of the National Geographic articles I looked at featured pictures and videos along with the actual article. I think people now know that because of technology we have lower attention spans and breaking up the story with pictures and videos help the reader stay engaged and want to continue to read the story. I also believe the videos and pictures help convey the message of the article more clearly than just words. For example, I read the National Geographic article “From Tank to Table” and the pictures of the dead fish along the rivers helped me conceptualize the issue and really made me more engaged in the piece. I also drew connections to the Klamath River basin that we discussed last year about the delicate salmon populations and how to combat the issue of fish kills.  Journalists now a days have to be proficient in multiple platforms of journalism through stories, videos, pictures and other types to get their message across to a large group of people.

Sources:

Serrano, Monica. From Tank to Table. National Geographic. 2019. Online. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=137226210&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed September 8, 2019.

Wyss, Bob. Covering the environment: How journalists work the green beat. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.