I think we’re all headed to making a new kind of orchid.

I’m a reporter who has embraced multimedia and it has rejuvenated my passion for journalism in mid-career. I saw the video camera collecting dust on our shelf, so I picked it up and am learning how to use it and edit.

If I want to do a slideshow and there’s no photog available (there are far fewer of them than there are of “reporters” at most newspapers), I’ll get audio and either look through the archives for illustrations, or take a point-and-shoot and try to shoot my own.

I’m having the time of my life.

And thanks Richard, for your on-line help. After viewing one of your tutorials, photogs started asking me how I got side captions in Soundslides.

You are so right that we are all headed toward the same goal, and we are all going to have to cross-pollinate our skills.

I still think a collaborative approach is going to be the best. I don’t think I’m probably ever going to be as good a photographer as I am a writer, and don’t even get me started on my design phobia.

But my desire to get the job done has gotten me through 30 years in journalism, and I’m looking forward to an-other (at least 20) in this new multimedia field.

What’s so great about doing this, is by starting now, I don’t feel like I’m that far behind a curve. It seems like every-one is figuring this out all at once.

What an exciting time to be a journalist.

That’s my caffeine rant

Ron Sylvester
Reporter/Interactive News
The Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com

To your larger point: I find it ludicrous that you were NOT invited. For everything I said in my comment about reporters being treated as if they were carrying a loaded weapon when they ask to shot images or video, as much is true about the “button pushers” that are locked out of the editorial side.

And your piece proves that in spades. In my shop, I was all for the photographers beefing up their writing and interviewing skills; I even volunteered to assist and lend whatever expertise I could, at any time. How often was it called upon? ONCE. As it turned out Jim Seida, one of our photographers, had done a piece for our Rising from the Ruin project a day ahead of when I arrived on site. It was the same story I’d been wanting to do, but hadn’t pitched yet. So, immediately, that shows Jim’s “nose for news.” Second, he did a fabulous job of reporting the piece and writing it. There were a few minor holes and rough spots, nothing that hasn’t been seen in my own copy from time to time. I edited the piece and it went live soon after.

This “cross-pollination” should happen more often.

I conceived, shot, wrote, tracked, cut, and pitched that spot, on a lark no less. I was not instructed to do so, I just wanted to do a proof-of-concept. In a climate where editorial staff is empowered and technical staff are considered mere “button pushers”, I felt a need to demonstrate my storytelling skill set. So do you feel the irony here? Here’s a meeting with MSNBC’s video side, pitching this new way of looking web content, using my video, but I’m not even invited to the meeting.

Ultimately, what I produce there was an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the sausage factory of TV News. Is it Journalism with a capital “J”? Of course not. I don’t think the future of news media is limited to the video journalist model. I believe that it is a workable model that produces compelling content. I just don’t think it is the answer to all ills that some believe it is.

I don’t “worry” about reporters with cameras. If there’s any worrying to be done, I’d be keeping an eye on those photogs with the editorial skill set.

Great post richard.
Right on key

‘pessimism reinforces more problems that it solves’

In this new situation, I don’t see anymore us and them. I just see the best visual journalist keeping their heads above water, be they trained initially trained as photographers or reporters and the rest sinking.

Imagine how frustrating it is to work for an organization that is supposed to be all about creative use of multimedia only to find out the “visual” side holds the reporting side in nothing but disdain and is secretly frightened that the reporters, spending their own time and money, to learn these new skills, were going to shove them out of a job.

All I’m saying is, it works both ways…