Impact of Globalization on the Local Press in China by Zhang Shixin Ivy;

Author:Zhang, Shixin Ivy;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Micro level: journalists’ roles, attitudes, and training

With the media environment evolving from distinct media-specific newsrooms to convergent newsrooms, division of labor is renewed and new editorial roles in the newsroom are emerging. For example, through a case study of Norwegian public service broadcaster NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), Erdal argued that old hierarchies in news production process are supplemented by new.[28] One is the emerging division between those reporters being given more time to research their own stories and do “real journalism” from those working mainly with updating or developing news stories that are already made, and those reproducing content for a different platform. This new division of labor is popular in Nordic countries. In the United States, Fisher identified four roles created at the Ifra Newsplex: newsflow editor, story builder, news resourcer, and multi-skilled journalist.[29]

As for the functions of journalism, the traditional roles of journalists as gatekeeper and agenda-setter are dissolving in cyberspace while journalists’ explanatory role is becoming more important. Journalists are no longer the ones who decide what individuals should read and what important things they should think about. “Indeed the key issue may well be what issues people tell the journalist what they want to think about . . . The journalist no longer has much if any control over what citizens will see, read or hear.”[30] Deuze and Paulussen surveyed online journalists in the Netherlands and Belgium and found journalists attribute more importance to the explanatory role, i.e., explaining and interpreting news, providing comments, analysis, than to the role of disseminating information to the public, or reporting and breaking news.[31]

Cultural resistance is seen as the biggest hurdle for converging newsrooms. Theoretically, “for multimedia work to take deep root, journalists from once-competing newsrooms must learn to cooperate and collaborate.”[32] However in practice, Singer finds that journalists’ ingrained habits, learned skills, and storytelling norms are more resistant to change.[33] The key issue is to change journalists’ mindset from working for a specific medium to working for multiple media platforms. Communication is also critical in implementing newsroom convergence.[34]

Successful convergence efforts involve training. Although some news organizations implement convergence for the purpose of downsizing staff, cutting costs, and maximizing profits, investment in training is needed for multimedia staff to produce converged content. Deuze claims that convergence for companies involves spending impressive sums on new equipment, hardware and software, in-house and external training, and hiring new people with IT skills.[35] On-the-job training has occurred in many converged media companies and universities have also modified their curricula to include convergence training.[36]

In China, since print and online newsrooms are still run separately, some new roles are emerging. Three have been identified: forum administrator; webcast host; and multi-skill journalist.

A forum administrator helps the audience engage in discussions on the Web. A webcast host acts as a Web editor on normal days. During live interview, they sit in front of computers in the studios and do interviews using questions posted from the Web. Multimedia journalists are mainly found at central level news sites like Xinhua and People’s Daily.

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