By Danche Azmanova | 

What do you do when the camera is heavier than you? How do you manage to hold the microphone in one hand, take notes with the other and shoot a video at the same time, while looking polite and listening carefully? Can you edit your video, and at the same time write your story?

The real question is… Can you?

Well, this one-man-show concept is called MMJ (multimedia journalist), and, read carefully, THIS is the future of journalism. Technology has changed. Information has changed. The world has changed. So, is it fair to expect that journalism will remain the same?

This sudden change came shocking for me. In my country, despite the lack of freedom of the press, it is not that hard to be a journalist. The challenge in Macedonia is how to balance your sources and fight against censorship. But here in the USA, I found a more complex challenge: multimedia journalism. That means that as a multimedia journalist you should be able of doing many things (most of them at the same time):

  • Cover events and do interviews
  • Live broadcasting
  • Record videos from the events
  • Edit your own videos
  • Write the story
  • Be an anchor

Is it hard to do it all by yourself? Of course, it is. But that is the challenge. The moment I thought I learned all about journalism, a new concept comes along. Suddenly, I found myself at a crossroad. Should I accept the new trend or should I ignore it? Should I get out of my comfort zone or should I play safer and continue to practice the things that I am already skillful for?

Changes can frighten us. Changes can make us question who we really are. But for sure, they can make us grow in personal and and professional ways. And, if this is the way I can become a better journalist than I was before, well… challenge accepted!

Danche Anchoring