A VETERAN US journalist believes a lot of high quality work has been done in terms of media reporting in Fiji.
These were the sentiments shared by US expert on multimedia journalism and assistant dean and professor at the University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism and New Media, Dr Debora Wenger while speaking at the four-day regional workshop focused on new media and multimedia reporting in Suva last week.
Dr Wenger said the work done by media in Fiji was relatable to the work of smaller media organisations in US.
“I have seen a lot of high quality work in terms of media reporting in Fiji. And I think, what I see is something similar to what we have back in the US perhaps with smaller media outlets where they have been doing a great job on traditional journalism for many years,” Dr Wenger said.
“Journalists now are being forced into an environment where they have to work across multiple platforms to reach people in the way these people want to consume the information.
“So if people no longer want to read the print newspaper, maybe we can get them a subscription for an online version, or maybe they could download an app for this.”
She said the audience and the technology had changed over the years and so had Fiji’s medium. She added more could be done by Fijian journalists to improve their stories.
“I think considering what medium would best tell the story because we all have access to digital platforms, have the ability to consider whether the best way to tell the story is in video or with drone footage, text, info-graphics or 360 version.
“We have so many tools available that are accessible to journalists nowadays.
“I want to see more thought going into how can journalists enhance their stories to make it more impactful for more people.” She added that she anticipated many more tools and applications to be used in journalism in Fiji in the coming years.