story by Michelle Lieberman

Convergence

The realm of convergence was thematically woven into the fabric of Visual Edge 2000 - a week-long seminar held at the Poynter Institute that was designed to expose participants to various aspects of filmless technologies. There are two types of convergence happening, said Brian Storm, director of multimedia for MSNBC.com. The first is the convergence of storytelling methods on the Web. The Internet is a place where video, audio and still images can be combined using the latest technology. Convergence

on the Web basically combines traditional storytelling with new packaging, he said. For example, documentary photography and National Public Radio-style reporting can combine for an improved story.

The second type of convergence is the combination of print and television media. Karl Kuntz, managing editor of the Columbus Dispatch, said many news organizations are finding it increasingly productive to have photojournalists shoot video and videographers shoot still pictures. Photographers and videographers not only are learning each other's craft, he said, they are learning to shoot the assignments digitally.

Problems, fears and bumps in the road

"It's not that I don't want to shoot video, but still photography will be compromised," said James DeCamp, a staff photographer with the Columbus Dispatch. DeCamp fears the quality of the journalism will decrease when journalists are expected to use more than one type of media at once.

Storm said journalists should know about all kinds of media, but they should not be expected to do a little bit of everything. "People can be pushed in that direction, but they don't have to go there," he said. In his newsroom, staff members understand what their coworkers are doing, but they usually work only in their specialty. "My shortstop is playing shortstop. He knows what it's like to be in centerfield, but he plays his position."

If journalists are expected to fill several roles on each assignment, they may never excel in any one area. "My concern is that we want to be masters," said Joe Elbert, assistant managing editor of photography for The Washington Post. "We can't accomplish that with too many tasks." He said combining video and still photography will be sensible when video equipment has improved to the point where high quality still frames can be captured from video.

Elbert also said he fears a huge increase in workload as digital photography becomes more common. Digital photography is less expensive in the long run, he said, and allows photographers to be more productive - a formula that appeals to management. If the process is faster, the assignment load will go up. Eventually photojournalism no longer will be about the love of people, but the love of productivity. "That's a terrible world. That's Orwell," he said. "Photographers will be sitting in their cars with a laptop all day. It's lonely."

Elbert blames the "gee whiz factor" for the rush to use new technology. He said fascination with the latest gadgets often blocks good journalism and at this point, scientists are more involved with media convergence than artists.

Once the technology is perfected, Elbert will be ready to jump into it. It's too labor intensive right now to properly maintain a Web site, he said. "Web sites are where linotype machines were 50 years ago," he said. "Content and quality are suffering so that we can feed the beast."

Some common convergence fears are the shift in the job market and whether experienced journalists will be out of work because they don't know the latest software. DeCamp said he is afraid of getting "bulldozed" by the younger generation. "Kids are coming out of college," he said, "knowing HTML better than English."

However, DeCamp said, convergence may simply change the types of available jobs. "The job market is going to be much broader with more little niches," he said.

Storm said when it comes to technology, the concepts are most important. It's not necessary to learn the software backward and forward, he said, but to be successful, one has to show no fear.

Endless possibilities and the sunny side

The benefit of convergence on the Web, Storm said, happens when the two parts come together to create something better. Traditional notions of video can be combined with quality audio to produce a superior multimedia piece.

Web publishing also provides a tremendous amount of flexibility in story length and focus. Unlike traditional television and radio pieces, Storm said, there is no time continuum on the Internet. "It can be 8 seconds or 28 seconds."

The Internet also offers

opportunity for expansion into niche markets, Storm said. People can find a piece they're interested in and follow it in depth. The target audience of Internet journalism is opposite that of traditional media. Broadcast tries to appeal to as many people as possible, he said, whereas the Web appeals to specialized audiences.

Storm said the Web offers tremendous opportunity for documentary photography because of niche audiences. The sites will attract people who come looking for excellent in-depth work in a specific area rather than happenstance Internet surfers. "They're not going to get serendipity," he said. "They're not going to get my mom. They'll get photographers."

Just around the corner

For now, the new digital video camera at the Columbus Dispatch is still a "play toy," Kuntz said. Photographers at the newspaper are not yet required to shoot video. Kuntz wants them to have time to experiment with video on their own before it officially becomes part of the job.

Television and print convergence is a transition that should be eased into, Kuntz said. The groundwork for the operation and the technology has to be solid first. "Once the infrastructure is there," he said, "then we can talk about doing things together."

Storm said one of the most important first steps is to agree on

an ethical standard. Print and broadcasting operate under different codes of ethics, he said, so a universal standard must be created. The process of working through it can be beneficial for both sides.

The next important step is to assign producers specifically for the Web, Storm said. In order for the quality of the production to reach its potential, someone must be devoted solely to pulling it all together.

The business side of the Web will continue to expand, Storm said. "The Web is going to change dramatically in the next 18 months." More refined modes of e-commerce will emerge "to make the Web pay," he said. Network-like control will continue to conglomerate pieces of the Web. "Eventually there will be a big player in each market."

While a definitive style of Internet journalism is emerging, technology continues forward. Interactive video will be the next trend, Storm said. Viewers will be able to choose which camera they want to view the story through or rotate 360 degrees through a scene. "It's a whole different way of thinking about a story," Storm said. "It's a user-controlled environment." For example sports spectators will be able to choose how they view a play. "When the quarterback lets go of the ball, I can switch to the camera on the wide receiver."

Journalists now find themselves at a turn in the road of media convergence, recognizing that technology is embedded in the transformation of traditional forms of content. The possibilities remain to be seen. We have tremendous opportunities for expansion and creativity at our feet, Storm said. "It's the golden era of photography. It's not there yet, but it will be."