The latest edition of the IFAJ E-News has some interesting information. Liz Kellaway is doing a great job with it and it’s got more information than ever. Here’s a couple of tidbits.
1. The last newsletter posed a member survey question, “What dangers do you face in your work as an agricultural journalist or editor?” Although not many responded here’s how the answers came out:
Budget cuts – 50%
No time to look ahead – 42%
Failing to try new ideas – 25%
Media convergence – 25%
Losing journalistic integrity – 25%
Emergence of new media – blogs, internet news sites, etc. – 25%
Physical dangers – 17%
Freedom of expression – 8%
Other dangers – 8%
How would you have responded? Do these results surprise you? Of course I see the emergence of new media as an opportunity as opposed to a danger but I understand why some would feel differently.
2. There’s another article on The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which has a staff of 75 rural reporters. It’s recognized by Guinness Book of Records because it’s such a long running program (60 years). What’s interesting to me is how they’re using technology to stay “relevant.”
Increasingly, our efforts are being directed to our online activities and weve just begun the process to do a complete re-build of our ABC Rural online site. By later this year, people anywhere will be able to gain access to an even greater array of the material our journalists produce, including live streaming of programs, podcasts, pictures, video, written text and hopefully a range of new services which will be delivered to peoples personal phones.
Live streaming and phone delivery. Got it.