Convergence
Newsletter
From
Newsplex at the University of South Carolina
Vol. IV
No. 7 (February 2007)
Commenting
on Convergence
By Melissa
McGill, editor of The Convergence Newsletter
As The
Convergence Newsletter’s first issue of 2007, this assortment of articles examines the history
of convergence as well as looking at possibilities for the future.
As new
media such as the Internet are quickly becoming old news, Augie Grant offers
insight into several new “new media” (or maybe “post-new media?” Hence the
problem with labeling something as new…) and the opportunities they
present. John Hartman focuses on
newspaper readership among young adults, looking specifically at two Chicago
tabloid newspapers. Finally,
MySpace.com makes its first appearance in this newsletter as Janet Kolodzy
delves into mainstream news coverage of social networking sites and how these
sites were portrayed in 2006.
Also, I'm
sharing some “Fun Finds” that I’ve come across on Web this month. These may be potential topics for a
future article, interesting blog entries or even just video clips I really
like. I’ve learned a few things
during my six-month span thus far as editor of The Convergence Newsletter but the most important thing I’ve
learned is that there is always something new and intriguing to be found and
shared. So enjoy these “Fun Finds” and be sure to share any ones you find over
the next month with me!
View past
newsletters at http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/convergence/.
Melissa
McGill is working toward a Master of Mass Communications at the University of
South Carolina. Contact her at convergence-editor@mailbox.sc.edu.
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Feature
Articles
The Next
Generation of Convergence: New Media
RedEye Finds Young Adults, Success in
Windy City
Lost in MySpace: The Negative News about Social Networking Sites
like MySpace, Friendster and Facebook in Mainstream Media
Fun Finds
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Conference
Information
Leadership
for Online Editors
Interactive
Community News: Online and Print
ASNE 2.0:
New Frontiers for Journalism, the First Amendment and Technology
AEJMC
Call for Papers
Media
101: Creating the Future by Understanding the Past
Expanding
the Definition of Convergence and Integration
Creating
Communication: Content, Control and Critique
Info
Services Expo 2007
Native
American Journalists Association
National
Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention
Convergence
and Society: Media Ownership, Control, and Consolidation Call for Papers
Asian
American Journalists Association
Online
Fundamentals for Newsroom Leaders
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Faculty
Position Announcements
Stephen F. Austin State University
University
of Washington
Roger
Williams University
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---------------Feature
Articles
The
Next Generation of Convergence: New Media
By
Augie Grant, executive editor of The Convergence Newsletter
Most
discussions of convergent journalism today focus on the integration of online
media into traditional media operations, with a little attention toward
integration of traditional media such as newspapers and television. These
discussions also consistently refer to a convergence "trend,"
implying an emerging focus on convergence.
Tim
Bajkiewicz has given me a broader perspective on the question. In his chapter
on "Teaching Convergence" in a forthcoming volume edited by Jeff
Wilkinson and me, Bajkiewicz recounts the history of more than 100 years of
journalism education in the U.S., relating how the introduction of radio,
television, film, and other "new media" led to consideration of how
the practice of journalism across these new media should be integrated with the
teaching of "traditional" journalism.
I'll
leave it to Tim to summarize his observations in a future edition of the
newsletter, but his analysis prompted me to look in another direction. Just as
surely as the Web will make the transition from being "new media" to
being "traditional media," other media will emerge that will offer
the same opportunities to the practice of journalism (and the teaching of
journalism) that online journalism offers us today.
The first
set of media to consider include variants of online media, but are quite
different from Web sites in terms of delivery, audience use, and capabilities.
Email may emerge as one of the most efficient ways of distributing news,
provided the medium can evolve to deal with the challenges of spam. RSS is
another Internet-based "push" technology that allows content to be
delivered to users at the impetus of the sender, overcoming the "pull"
nature of Web sites as a delivery medium.
The
medium with the greatest potential for delivery of news may be the cellular
telephone. Some phones are designed for Internet use, but the potential goes
far beyond accessing the Internet on a cell phone. Propelled only in part by
integration of cameras into phones, the screen sizes are becoming larger, color
is more common, and resolution is increasing by degrees of magnitude. With text
messaging firmly established as a secondary use of cellular telephones, it is
easy to conceive delivery of headlines, news stories, sports scores, photos,
and video on cellular phones. The only question is who will be the information
provider? The local newspaper, local television stations, and other traditional
media come to mind, as do Yahoo!, Google, and other companies eager to share in
the revenues from news distribution.
Coupling
the display and processing capabilities of these phones with bi-directional
transmission of data establishes the technological basis for cell phones to
contend for a position as the next, "new" news medium, as
"smart" and interactive as any other medium. But the most compelling
attribute of the cell phone may be the fact that consumers are accustomed to
paying for services and content delivered on their cell phones. Consider, for
example, that ring tones generated more than a billion dollars in revenue each
of the last two years. How much—if anything—will people pay to get
the news on their phone? How much
is it worth to a newspaper company to bypass the printing process and deliver
ALL of its content to a device that is as portable as paper?
(As a
side note, the ability of the public to use camera phones to capture images of
accidents, disasters, and other breaking news has already changed the way that
these breaking stories are covered in all media.)
Other
media that may become part of the mix of delivery media include digital signs
(including electronic billboards), electronic fabrics, text displays that have
become a part of radio and television receivers, and virtual reality.
Each of
these prospective media represents two opportunities for those of us attempting
to stay on the cutting edge of journalism. First, we have an opportunity to
experiment with these media, finding ways to integrate them with more
traditional media or to create new forms of content for these media. Second, we
have an opportunity to use these tools in training journalists to move the
focus from the medium to the story. There are certainly going to be important
differences in formatting messages for these new media, but the manner in which
the needs and interests of the audience intersect with the information that can
be distributed should result in a focus on the story, with good storytelling
being the unifying factor in this next generation of convergence.
RedEye Finds Young Adults, Success in
Windy City
By John
K. Hartman, Central Michigan University
I spent
July 23-26, 2005, in Chicago in order to observe firsthand the usage of two
Chicago tabloid newspapers aimed at the elusive young adults (18-34) –
the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye and the now defunct Red Streak, both launched in 2002 .
I also
observed young-adult newspaper reading, or lack thereof, in a variety of
settings in Chicago, including popular breakfast spots, book stores, hotels,
restaurants, shopping areas, and airports.
On Monday July 25, I stationed myself in front of the commuter train station (known as the El) on Lake Street between State and Dearborn streets at a table outside a Starbucks coffee shop between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. local time. This was a rush hour time period with the foot traffic consisting largely of Chicagoans on their way to work.
Only 7
percent of young adults considered a newspaper important enough to carry
visibly on the streets of Chicago during rush hour the morning of July 25. Some
no doubt carried newspapers in their briefcases and backpacks. Some no doubt
had taken home delivery of a newspaper already. Some would buy or pick up a
paper and read it over lunch or dinner. Some would read a paper left in their
break or lunch room. Some would read the news online, perhaps including a
Chicago-based newspaper in the mix. But that 49 out of 700 carrying newspapers
ratio is not at odds with industry surveys showing young-adult newspaper
readership as low as in twenties, teens, and even single digit percentages. The
only good news was that nearly half of the young adults, who were observed
Monday morning carrying a newspaper, were carrying the RedEye, a testament to the upstart’s
ability to meet young adults’ needs and speak their language.
Young
adults were observed not reading newspapers in overwhelming numbers in
bookstores and at breakfast, lunch and break times. It was almost like they
were avoiding them, preferring to sit, often alone, and stare into space rather
than reading a product that might make them better educated and perhaps help
improve the quality of their work and personal lives, not to mention offering a
little entertainment. Newspapers, even the so-called minidailies, do not appear
to be part of the social conversation of young adults. Cellphones, the Web,
email and instant messaging have captivated the young adults in 2006.
Newspapers have not. An
undergraduate student told me in 2005: “We live on the Web.”
Putting
local newspapers behind the counter and forcing people to ask for them as done
by two Borders bookstores in Chicago shocked me. Newspapers as
contraband. Newspapers treated like cigarettes. Must customers show
identification to buy a newspaper, I wondered.
I believe
that the newspaper industry has little choice but to embrace and create more
minidailies and miniweeklies. In combination with Web sites, the minis –
free, widely available, attractively designed, and full of news and information
that the young adults are interested in – are the newspaper industry’s
best hope for ensuring its future.
Studies
of minidailies and miniweeklies in other U.S. cities and abroad need to be
undertaken. Particular attention needs to be paid to the synergies between Web
sites and their sister daily newspapers. If cross ownership regulations are
loosened, the minis could become part of a valuable combination or convergence
of assets in individual markets that include radio stations, television
stations, local cable TV stations and billboard companies.
John
K. Hartman presented this research at USC’s Convergence and Society: Ethics,
Religion and New Media held October 19- 21, 2006. Contact John for a copy of
the complete paper : hartm1jk@cmich.edu.
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Lost in MySpace: The Negative News about Social Networking
Sites like MySpace, Friendster and Facebook in Mainstream Media
By
Janet Kolodzy. Emerson College
The
explosive popularity of social networking Web sites like MySpace.com,
Facebook.com and Friendster.com caught the attention of mainstream news media
in 2006. LexisNexis listed some
900 stories about these three sites in the first six months, nearly four times
the number of references in all of 2005. But while these Web sites attract
young audiences, traditional news organizations’ coverage struggled to
represent young audiences’ attitudes. This reporting appeared to exacerbate a
“generation gap’ about attitudes toward social networking sites, presenting
news more for an audience of baby boomers rather than boomers’ children.
A simple
analysis (via LexisNexis, Vanderbilt University Television News Archives and
the news organizations' online archives accessed through library databases) of
the reporting about MySpace, Facebook and Friendster that appeared on the three
national news networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) and in Time, Newsweek, the New York
Times and Boston's two daily newspapers bears this out. All of the news organizations’ coverage referenced
MySpace.com more than the other two sites combined. Often the references were
in passing rather than as the focus of the news stories. However, the majority
of stories in national or local news sections of the newspapers and on the
broadcast networks carried a negative connotation about social networking
sites. That negative connotation mostly involved references to crime and bad
behavior.
The
stories presented on the ABC, NBC and CBS evening newscasts were all reporter
packages, running from two to three minutes. Eight of the nine reports aired in
the January to June 2006 time frame highlighted criminal activity. These
reports presented a tone of danger and risk associated with using the sites.
However, the network stories also included comments from young users about the
appeal of the sites to provide some balance.
In Time
and Newsweek, two of the three cover stories that mentioned social networking
sites also addressed personal safety and privacy issues. The stories took on an
explanatory tone. While mentioning problems, the stories also outlined how
social networking sites were being used for adolescent communication and how
law enforcement is using them to fight crime, such as seeking out sexual
predators. Both magazines also featured social networking sites in commentary.
Younger users’ comments were found in the Letters to the Editor section of
Time. Yet columns in Newsweek that mentioned MySpace tilted more toward
commentary by and for parents and older adults.
In the
three daily newspapers – The New York Times, Boston Globe and Boston
Herald – the most stories mentioning MySpace, Facebook and Friendster
could be found in business/technology or lifestyle sections. In the Times, for
example, 55 of the 123 stories mentioning any of the three sites were on the
business/finance pages. Several
stories in the Boston Herald touted MySpace as a marketing tool. For example,
one story noted how new musical groups were using MySpace to their music
noticed.
The
stories in the business or lifestyle sections balanced information about the
sites’ benefits with concerns. These sections traditionally aim to report on
trends and new ideas, so the stories mentioning MySpace, Friendster or Facebook
fit that pattern. Stories in the papers’ news sections – national or
local news sections – featured more stories associating the Web sites
with criminal or predatory activity.
This
basic examination of coverage in the first half of 2006 of MySpace, Facebook
and Friendster did not find a complete and clear pattern associating the sites
with negative behavior. Only the network newscasts painted social networking
sites so completely with the negative brush by providing no other stories on
the sites except those about criminal, predatory or threatening activities.
The
newspapers and newsmagazines offered other stories that presented the
beneficial or at least uniquely interesting aspects of social networking Web sites.
Those stories were most often found in special niche reporting sections, such
as business and the arts.
But an
underlying tone of much of the reporting, and of the commentary on social
networking sites reflected a generational attitudinal divide. The stories come
across as trying to explain to an adult audience the activities of youth. Or as
one teen wrote in an April 2006 letter about a Time article, “It’s always a
little funny to read what adults are saying about us kids.”
Janet
Kolodzy presented this research at USC’s Convergence and Society: Ethics,
Religion and New Media held October 19- 21, 2006. Contact Janet for a copy of
the complete paper : Janet_Kolodzy@emerson.edu
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Fun
Finds
By
Melissa McGill, editor of The Convergence Newsletter
The
Convergence Manifesto: I-IV
http://www.convergenceculture.org/weblog/2007/01/the_convergence_manifesto_i_co.php
This
four-part entry on MIT’s Convergence Culture Consortium discusses what the
heart of convergence is and what critics misunderstand about it. This is definitely
worth checking out for anyone interested in convergence.
The
Politico
Launched
January 2007, this political newspaper/Web site features an interesting mix of articles,
columns and blogs written by reporters, such as “Simon Says” written by Chief
Political Columnist Roger Simon and “Shenanigans,” a blog about Washington
gossip by Anne Schroeder. Hoping to reach both the lawmakers and
lobbyists in Washington through newspaper distribution on the Hill and all the
country’s political junkies everywhere else through the Web, The Politico holds
that “reading a story should be just as interesting
as talking with the reporter over a sandwich or a beer.”
Super Bowl XLI
It would be remiss of me not mention the most-watched football
game of year/cultural phenomenon where for some, the commercials are
practically as important as the game.
For the football, visit ESPN.com
for the latest interviews, scouting reports and stats. For those who are only interested in
the commercials, my personal favorite from last year was the Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty”
ad which was featured in presentation by USC Assistant Professor Karen
Mallia at the University’s recent Ad Bowl Symposium.
---------------Conferences
Leadership
for Online Editors
Poynter
May 29,
2007 – June 1, 2007
Deadline:
March 28, 2007
http://www.poynter.org/seminar/seminar_view.asp?int_seminarID=4206
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Interactive
Community News: Online and Print
American
Press Institute
March 19
– 21, 2007, Reston, VA
http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/07/Interactive/
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ASNE 2.0:
New Frontiers for Journalism, the First Amendment and Technology
American
Society of Newspaper Editors
March
27-30, 2007, Washington, DC
http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?id=6404
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AEJMC
Call for Papers
Washington,
DC, August 9 – 12, 2007
Paper
Deadline: April 1, 2007
http://www.aejmc.org/07convention/index.php
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BEA
Media
101: Creating the Future by Understanding the Past
April
18-21, 2007, Las Vegas
http://www.beaweb.org/bea2007/index.html
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Texas
Tech University
Expanding
the Definition of Convergence and Integration
April 19
& 20, 2007
Lubbock,
Texas
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57th Annual Conference of the International Communication
Association
Creating
Communication: Content, Control and Critique
San Francisco, CA, May 24-28, 2007
http://www.icahdq.org/conferences/index.asp
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60th
World Newspaper Congress/ 14th World Editors Forum
Info
Services Expo 2007
June 3-6,
2007, Cape Town, South Africa
http://www.capetown2007.co.za/home.php
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Native
American Journalists Association
We Talk,
You Listen: A Tribute to Vine Deloria
Denver, Colorado,
June 8 – 10, 2007
http://www.naja.com/programs/convention/
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National
Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention
June 13
– 16, 2007, San Jose, California
http://www.nahj.org/events/2007/convention/SanJose.shtml
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Convergence
and Society: Media Ownership, Control, and Consolidation Call for Papers
University
of South Carolina October 11-13, 2007
Submission
deadline (postmark) is June 15, 2007.
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Asian
American Journalists Association
Miami,
FL, August 1 – 4, 2007
http://www.aaja.org/programs/convention2007/
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Online
Fundamentals for Newsroom Leaders
Poynter
October
30, 2007 – November 1, 2007
Deadline:
August 27, 2007
http://www.poynter.org/seminar/seminar_view.asp?int_seminarID=4269
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---------------Faculty
Position Announcements
Stephen F. Austin State University
Department of Communication - Department Chair
The Department of Communication at Stephen F. Austin State
University
invites applications for the position of Department Chair beginning
Fall 2007. Candidates should possess a PhD in one of the academic
areas offered within the Department: journalism, radio/TV or
communication studies; the successful candidate should possess a
demonstrated commitment to teaching excellence, a record of substantial
scholarly research, identifiable administrative skills and leadership
experience gained through work within a multidisciplinary
communications program. Also desirable is a commitment to developing
external funding sources for the Department. The successful candidate
must qualify for tenure as full professor at the time of appointment.
Salary is competitive and will be based upon experience and
qualifications.
For a complete job description, go to this link: http://www2.sfasu.edu/personnel/Job%20Postings%20-%20NonClassified/062-07.htm
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The
University of Washington
Department
of Communication – Assistant/Associate Professor
The
University of Washington in Seattle seeks a new faculty member to join its
cutting-edge Master of Communication in Digital Media program. The position
open is for an assistant professor or associate professor. It is a full-time,
non-tenure track position with a twelve-month service period. The 45-credit
Master of Communication in Digital Media program is designed for mid-career
professionals. It teaches students how to best use the new tools to create
engaging, relevant content and how to direct a team and do business in the new
digital environment. The start date for this position is September 16, 2007.
Applications will be reviewed beginning February 12, 2007, and until the
position is filled.
For a
complete job description, go to this link: http://www.com.washington.edu/Program/MCDMPosition.pdf.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roger
Williams University
Department
of Communication
Roger Williams University invites applications for a tenure-track
position of Assistant Professor in Journalism with a specific interest and
expertise in the area of new media and/or digital editing/production. Primary
responsibilities include teaching courses in the Journalism concentration such
as Newswriting and Reporting, Special Topics in Journalism, developing new
courses that address the role of new media in contemporary news practices, and
supporting the major by teaching foundation courses such as Writing for Mass
Media and Electronic Communication. Additionally, this position entails
assisting in curriculum design and program development related to the
Journalism concentration in particular and the Communication major in general.
Further, advising students, serving on college and university committees and
being actively involved in scholarly and/or relevant creative/professional
activities is expected.
For a
complete job description, go to this link:
http://central.rwu.edu/depository/hr/jobs/faculty/JournalismCommsFAC07010.pdf
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---------------Publisher
and Editorial Staff
The
Convergence Newsletter is free and published by The College of Mass Communications and
Information Studies at the University of South Carolina.
Executive
Editor
Augie
Grant, Ph.D.
Editor
Melissa McGill
convergence-news@mailbox.sc.edu
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------Copyright
and Redistribution
The
Convergence Newsletter is Copyright © 2007 by the University of South Carolina, College of
Mass Communications and Information Studies. All rights reserved.
This
newsletter may be redistributed in any form - print or electronic - without
edits or deletion of any content.
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---------------Submission
Guidelines/Deadline Schedule
The
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theoretical and professional meaning of media convergence. We welcome articles
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---------------Subscribe/Unsubscribe
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