Full speed ahead in a multimedia world

Photographers, reporters. It didn’t matter what journalistic tool we called home. At least half of the Chipsters who stood up last night to introduce themselves wanted to learn more about how to incorporate and/or improve their multimedia storytelling.

Everyone agrees that newspapers are shifting to the Web and they’re looking for Web-savvy graduates. The problem is that college curriculum haven’t adjusted yet to meet the needs. My internship newspaper, the Detroit Free Press. is running full-speed ahead with software that my university has (so far) placed on only one computer. A handful of students have become efficient with it only because they have had the time and initiative to figure it out on their own. Universities are in the processes of piecing together programs, finding people to teach them and having the fun task of getting the software to make it happen.

So as soon as we students get an opportunity like this program, we are foaming at the mouth to get real experience to use in the newsroom. It can be frustrating.

My advice: Learn what you can. When our universities do catch up, it’ll be a wicked experience.

Until then, the sites Multimediashooter and Mediastorm may give you ideas and inspiration.

-- Sarah Welliver, University of Montana, Detroit Free Press