Digital age reporters

Multimedia journalism was once a novel and unfamiliar concept, but now it has become so commonplace that journalists are forced to update their skills to keep up with the trend.

Change is necessary.

In the 1990s, when information technology was still in its infancy, each administrative agency had only a few computers, except for those operating in the IT sector. The Binh Thuan Newspaper agency at that time had about 4-5 computers for publishing its single printed newspaper. Reporters had no equipment other than pens, notebooks, and film cameras. They wrote articles on paper, accompanied by self-developed film photos, which they then sent to the department head, the editorial office for editing, typing, and layout for publication.

The newsroom is a convergence point (photo: Ng.Lân)

By the early 2000s and 2010s, information technology had advanced further, with many reporters, especially young reporters, writing articles on computers. Some veteran reporters were unfamiliar with keyboards, but they later caught up with the trend when Binh Thuan Newspaper established an online news site, which later became an online newspaper.

Since then, information technology has developed rapidly, changing both the quantity and quality of many aspects of life. " The world is at your fingertips," billionaire Bill Gates said about the world-shattering power of digital technology. Media organizations, including Binh Thuan Newspaper, have shifted towards multimedia journalism. Their newsrooms now encompass various forms of media, including print, online, media, and video clips.

Besides desktop computers, there are other supporting devices (photo: Ng.Lân)

In such a working environment, reporters are forced to change their methods to meet the demands of the newsroom. Accordingly, in addition to cameras and computers – essential equipment for journalists – they also need to equip themselves with laptops, smartphones, etc., for convenient work. “Reporters now have better resources than before, with many convenient devices that greatly assist their work… They can write articles anywhere and have many information channels to discover topics. Especially social media – a channel for receiving information from citizens, directly reflecting all aspects of life through images and real language…,” a former reporter shared.

Furthermore, reporters can contribute articles to various media outlets such as print newspapers, online newspapers, and magazines. For online newspapers, they can submit articles accompanied by video clips. In addition, those working in the publishing industry can easily utilize reporters' news and articles; if they don't use print newspapers, they can flexibly transfer them to online publications.

We need to be proactive and stay updated.

Despite the favorable working environment, many reporters, especially those in provincial newspapers, have not yet fully utilized their potential in the current digital transformation of journalism. Specifically, online newspapers – the main form of journalism today – integrate many information transmission media: text; static and dynamic images; graphics, audio, video… but some reporters only stop at writing articles and taking photos to send to the newsroom. Resident reporters of central newspapers do better; they don't just write news articles, many also take on filming, editing, and producing journalistic products. Especially as journalism is in a "race" to provide information against social media, readers tend to read short, quick texts and are impressed by beautiful images, forcing each reporter to explore and improve their skills and expertise…

With the advent of the digital age, electronic devices are interconnected, greatly assisting journalists in their work, especially when working in difficult areas and unfavorable weather conditions. While digital technology offers many advantages, it also demands that each journalist be proficient and keep up with trends to avoid falling behind their colleagues and other newspapers.

The book "The Modern Journalist" (adapted by the Youth Publishing House from the News Reporting and Writing textbook by The Missouri Group of the Journalism Department, University of Missouri) states that, “In the media industry, there will be plenty of jobs for journalists. After all, there still has to be someone to gather news and organize it into an easily digestible, useful program. But new media services will require journalists with broader skills and qualifications. While some journalists may focus on writing as they do now, they will have to demonstrate a richer perspective through images, charts, graphs, and even audiovisual equipment that can complement their articles.”

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