After viewing and listening to several pieces about embed reporters last week in class, I was struck by what one journalist who stated in NPR's "'Boys on the Bus': 40 Years Later, Many are Girls" story. Today's fast-paced journalism made them long for the days of a "good ol' boys' club," one deadline a day and the old-school feeling of 'Boys on the Bus,' Timothy Crouse's book about embed reporters on campaign busses.
I understand the nostalgia for a simpler time. And call me young and naive, but with all the technology available to journalists today, we really are improving and changing how the public receives its news.
My generation of journalists isn't about old-school style. We're about forging our own way and creating our own personal brands of journalism. We had a discussion in class last week about where students my age get their news. Many of us pay attention to Twitter and blogs, but we also refer back to the tried and true sources such as the AP, New York Times and local newspapers to get a full story.
Social media isn't killing traditional news. If done correctly, it can drive more people to read traditional news. Not satisfied with the iota of information I crammed into 140 characters? Follow this link to read more! And que NYTimes.com. It's not terribly complicated. And it's a pattern I follow several times daily.
I was impressed at how versatile the NBC embed reporters on the 2012 campaign were. They could carry their life and their office on their back and find the story at any given moment in a day. And the media they produce is certainly not limited to traditional print or TV journalism. Those reporters are going places and developing the diverse skills all journalists need to have these days. They may still be the boys and girls on the bus, but they aren't tethered to that bus, or the pack journalism Crouse detailed in his book. Different angles are good and interesting to readers today.
The journalism field has spent too many years bemoaning the "death of print." Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and half-joking about how none of us are going to be employed in five years, why not move forward in a positive way? There are so many amazing things happening for journalism in today's world, let's take full advantage of them, not be afraid of change, and not hesitate to think outside the bus.
I understand the nostalgia for a simpler time. And call me young and naive, but with all the technology available to journalists today, we really are improving and changing how the public receives its news.
My generation of journalists isn't about old-school style. We're about forging our own way and creating our own personal brands of journalism. We had a discussion in class last week about where students my age get their news. Many of us pay attention to Twitter and blogs, but we also refer back to the tried and true sources such as the AP, New York Times and local newspapers to get a full story.
Social media isn't killing traditional news. If done correctly, it can drive more people to read traditional news. Not satisfied with the iota of information I crammed into 140 characters? Follow this link to read more! And que NYTimes.com. It's not terribly complicated. And it's a pattern I follow several times daily.
I was impressed at how versatile the NBC embed reporters on the 2012 campaign were. They could carry their life and their office on their back and find the story at any given moment in a day. And the media they produce is certainly not limited to traditional print or TV journalism. Those reporters are going places and developing the diverse skills all journalists need to have these days. They may still be the boys and girls on the bus, but they aren't tethered to that bus, or the pack journalism Crouse detailed in his book. Different angles are good and interesting to readers today.
The journalism field has spent too many years bemoaning the "death of print." Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and half-joking about how none of us are going to be employed in five years, why not move forward in a positive way? There are so many amazing things happening for journalism in today's world, let's take full advantage of them, not be afraid of change, and not hesitate to think outside the bus.