Journalism Digital 5 Challenges of Taking Features Journalism features

  unwelcome resident of the digital world in which most media outlets work The value of interactive and digital reporting is very clear when it comes to breaking news and current affairs. Ask most journalists about features, however, and the response is likely to get a little more hazy. The fact is, most long-form journalists are still working out how (or even if) new and online platforms will contribute to and improve their stories.The complexities of digital journalism can be broken down into the following features:1. Losing profoundnessWe always think first of GIFs, videos and lists when we think of online content. The general assumption (although not strictly precise) is that most online readers are not interested in long reads, preferring something short, easily digestible and quickly exchanged instead.As a consequence, the knee-jerk reactions of many media outlets is to push their authors to keep their story word counts to a minimum and play up photos. Most journalists, however, see this as a “dumping down” of their work, for a few extra clicks, sacrificing depth, insight and good writing.2. Re-learning the instruments of trade The most basic instrument that journalists work with is the written word. In particular, long-standing journalists rely on both their investigative skills and their language proficiency to tell their stories.Then, being ordered to do what you do can be more than a little disconcerting, but with a completely different collection of resources. It’s a huge, scary leap to learn that sometimes a video, a picture, or even a photo can work better than your words.3. More than just window dressing, creating multimedia Many journalists (and their editors) grudgingly pay lip service to the concept of going digital without making full use of the online platform’s potential. It is good to embed a YouTube video or a picture slideshow, but digital journalism should be about making the digital elements an integral part of the post, another component of the story that is told in a way that can not be printed, rather than an afterthought.4. Mastering professional skills There is no way around the fact that it takes a certain amount of technological ability to integrate digital elements into feature writing. In their own online and social media sites, some may already use these skills, and others may find them reasonably easy to pick up. However, many journalists struggle to learn the different digital instruments they need to use, especially with the pace at which technology continues to evolve.5. Attitude -AttitudeMost journalists regard digital media as something that they have not signed up for. Writing is their field; they don’t make videos, podcasts and interactive maps. They also see time spent on this “online stuff” away from their real work as time spent.The problem is that these interactive elements are not seen as an extension of their writing, a way of bringing the story to the reader a different dimension. In several ways, a journalist who says, “This is not my job” is one of the greatest stumbling blocks to the online evolution of journalism.