Creating a converged newsroom can be a lot like arranging a shotgun wedding.
They both can be, shall we say, marriages of convenience. No one really wants to be there; it’s pretty awkward; and the focus usually is on an unwelcome new, little guest. Students confronting this shift to a new environment and culture can get distracted, angry, disinterested, unfocused. (Don't believe it? See the wedding shapshots above.)
But, they also can work really hard and create an exciting workplace and dynamic student media.
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University had a unique opportunity. After spending 20 years in multiple facilities, we were being moved to a huge, renovated, cutting-edge building that would house all our programs. It also would get a three-story, 20,000 square foot addition that would house a high definition broadcast facility, a 150-seat interactive lecture hall, and, taking up the entire second floor, a 2,800 square foot newsroom.
One newsroom, four very independent and self-reliant student media.
This is the story of our new shared newsroom: how we designed and equipped it; how students created a plan for convergence and a collaborative Web site; and all the things we learned along the way.
You'll note, no doubt, that the previous paragraph contains three related, but not synonymous, terms: converge, collaborate, share. We need to talk about that.
Next: you say po-tay-to and i say po-tah-to