The Call Is Out for “Multi-Platform” Journalists

I first spotted this phrase in a job posting this week from Austin television station KXAN. The station is looking for someone to:

produce and publish TV & online content from the field and develop/coordinate online content to compliment TV coverage

Hurray for KXAN — that’s the way to think about it. The thought was verified a couple of days later when CNN announced it was in search of “all-platform” journalists to:

gather news using lightweight kits that include laptops, cameras and editing tools for Internet as well as on-air programming in all 20 cities

Brian Stelter of the New York Times reports that the all-platform journalists will file from the network’s outlets across the country and may also borrow space from local TV affiliates, newspaper offices, or other locations.

It’s a more cost-effective way to gather news, and it’s also a signal to existing media companies that it’s important for their reporters to be comfortable producing reports for print, online, and video.