Soct213 Lecture Two

8/8/2019 Soct213 Lecture Two

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Convergent Journalism


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What is convergent journalism?

How to understand convergence?

Convergence and the newsroom

Convergence and user-generated content

(UGC)


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What is convergence injournalism?

Multiple-platform journalism

A synonym for rapid developments in media

technology, markets, production, content and

reception.


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Five forms of convergence

Ownership convergence

Tactical convergence

Structural convergence

Information gathering convergence

Story-telling convergenceRich Gordon (2003) The meanings and implications of convergence in

Kevin Kawamoto(ed) Digital Journalism: emerging media and the

changing horizons of journalism Lanham MD: Rowman and littlefield

Publishers 57-73


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Mainstream mass media has lost stability andauthority as it faces competition from multi-

faceted, constantly mutating information and

entertainment sources.


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Convergence is a dangerous word?(Silverstone 1995)

Electronic hybridity

Two claims: inevitable and necessary?

convergence in one domain, usually thetechnological, will have inevitable

consequences in another, usuallyconvergence in use.


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The cultural sources ofconvergence

The changing attitudes and lifestyles of news

consumers Market fragmentation in advertising

Henry Jenkins: convergence is both a top-

down corporate-driven process and a bottom

up consumer-driven process


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Barriers to convergence

Legislation

Union concerns

the lack of adequate business models


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Examples of convergence

A structure of convergent multimedia newsorganization has been emerging since the

mid1990s.

www. FT.com

Financial Times


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In June 2008, the BBC News web team moved

in alongside their television colleagues tocomplete the transformation of the BBC

Multimedia newsroom.

Sky News, ITN and Channel 4


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Peoples Daily

CNTV


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Convergence and the newsroom

Gatekeeping roles

the fiercely guarded ethic of professionalindependence

a participatory, networked information

environment


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Research into convergence and thenewsroom

ethnographic observations

case studies questionnaires

journalists have approached convergence with

considerable trepidation


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UK

Germany US

a potentially significant shift in newsroomculture

conflicts over staffing and time management,and difficulties related to news flow

A sticking point


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Convergence and user-generatedcontent

a networked digital media environment

Blogs and journalism other forms of user-generated content

wikinews


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By the mid 2000s, some mainstream media

were beginning to include user-generatedcontent in their own online news sites

a truly participatory media culture that breaks

the publication monopoly of institutionalised

media


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Better journalism or a betterbusiness model?

Journalistic standards Financial sustainability

Democracy?


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Indymedia

My Sun features

Guardian blogs

Documents

Soct213 Lecture Two