Media convergence requires journalists to develop skills in multiple fields such as writing and taking photos and videos, an expert has said.

“Journalists in the era of convergence must have technical skills to take photos and videos as well as record,” U.S. digital journalism expert Michael O’Connell said at a virtual discussion on ‘The Dynamics of American Media Convergence’, accessed from Jakarta on Wednesday.

In addition to having sharp and deep writing skills, journalists must be able to broadcast live on various social media such as Facebook and Instagram, he added.

“Journalists must be able to present stories directly. You have to be comfortable in front of the camera and interview sources in front of the camera,” he said.

Journalists in the era of convergence must understand how social media works, he added.

“(They must know) How to use social media to provoke people’s conversations. How to create interesting news content on the Google search engine,” O’Connell expounded.

He said journalists should be able to understand how to write headlines that are able to pique the curiosity of readers.

“Create headlines that captivate readers. Because now readers have control over when and where they want to consume news,” O’Connell remarked.

Source: Antara News