@benmaddentweets
In today’s society, a journalist must be aware of any updates/changes in technology (and as we all know, technology is rapidly changing). It’s often said that journalists have to be a jack of all trades. Indeed, one of the most important values a journalist can have is tenacity, from which they have a willingness to learn just about anything.
This is especially prevalent when it comes to technology, mainly because a lot of it is totally unfamiliar/new. 10 years ago, virtual reality was associated with Nintendo’s failed gaming system Virtual Boy. It wasn’t exactly something that was foreseeable, because it is considered revolutionary. Now, it’s something that journalists can use to tell a story, in a way that’s more engaging than simply using words on paper or a screen, and something that is rapidly becoming more popular.
However, technology can be a double-edged sword, because with more options to tell a story, the path to telling the story is less clear. This is where journalists need tenacity, because it’s easy to get lost in the quagmire of new innovation. Even Adobe Premiere Pro can seem utterly foreign to someone who has never used such technology before. The best journalists, even if they have no prior experience, know how to learn, not just what or where to learn. They have the drive to learn, which can lead to some of the most innovative stories around.
Take After the Storm. A collaboration between The Washington Post and PBS, this uses narration, audio, maps, photos and text to tell a 3-dimensional story of the after-effects of surviving a disaster. This not a method of storytelling that immediately comes to mind, yet was lauded by other media outlets for its creativity. This speaks to the tenacity of the journalists involved, because not only did it take time, but a willingness to think outside the box, and turn an idea into reality.
Featured photo taken by www.uberoffices.com and is licensed under CC by 2.0.
