Week 4 - News and technology

Why has technology caused journalists to become mobile?

In the 20th century technology has developed immensely to the point were it has changed the way news has been delivered. Technology has now altered how effective news can be delivered especially breaking news. Now that people can film events such as natural disasters on their mobile phone as they’re catching the event as it happens as pictures of events are far more effective then the written description of events. Delivering news has become very competitive as technology has developed to allow video cameras to become much smaller and lighter. This means news can be delivered in a much more fast and effective. This has caused Institutions like the BBC to train or higher journalists and reporters to be more mobile.

Digital convergence requires journalists to combined reporting with other tasks. Journalists are now encouraged to carry digital cameras with them. Together with laptops and mobile telephones this means pictures and reports of events can be sent back to the editor within seconds. This allows news to become exclusive and far more effective as at one time news use to printed days after the event. This also cuts out a lot of time which could be wasted and may be published by rival institutions or companies. The development of technology has forced journalists to become more versatile then just being able to write, they also have to be able to know and apply a lot more tasks. As the demand for fast and effective news has been higher then ever before it has put more pressure on the people who deliver the news to meet the high standards.

I think journalists have become mobile because of the intense competitiveness that news has brought in recent times meaning that editors are forced to cut a lot of to time wasting which means more of an emphasis on journalists becoming mobile.