Day 3 The Modern Milieu
Our text begins laying a relatively comprehensive overview of the media world we would find today. The first segment discusses the convergence of the various forms of news outlets that we enjoy and the technologies that make such availability possible. It then goes into greater degree citing the interconnection of the various media businesses that can find themselves under one ownership in today's world. One company in our era will likely own a newspaper, several magazines, internet services, tv station, and a phone company. Something that was patently illegal in the days of Murrow and Thomas.
Add blogging and the concept of public journalism into the mix and the nature of a journalist's skill set changes markedly. Likewise the qualities that prevail in news stories vary from medium to medium. This convergence of technologies feeding the many news outlets coupled with each outlet's unique demands has had a major impact on workplace design. The editorial desk is as reflective of the divergent outlets these days as it is of the context the stories must take for each. This writer is certain that the maelstrom of the modern convergent newsroom has been abated in some form or fashion through improved software and inter-office communication technologies since this text was last revised in 2007. At least one can hope...
In defense of modern day journalists, who would want to walk into such a maelstrom let alone succeed at it and expect to have some particle of humanity left within oneself at the end of any given day? The author does attempt to paint a picture of a diverse and exciting world but to the experienced professional, those words are just as likely to translate into disorganized and demanding.
Ethics citation: "Seek truth and report it. Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible."
