Solid reporting first, multimedia second

Posted by Jean Yves Chainon on October 10, 2007 at 10:20 AM

A valuable reminder in a journalism world increasingly focused on new media capabilities, Leonard Downie, editor of the Washington Post, insisted on the core value of quality traditional reporting.

“It doesn’t matter how Webbie you are, if you can’t report, it doesn’t matter,” Downie told the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

At the same time, the Post certainly boasts a very multimedia-apt journalistic staff. Blogs, video and participation in radio and television shows is part of the daily routine for Post journalists. But none of these skills can supplant good old reporting.

“The two driving forces in journalism today are lots of speed and impatience. Good reporting is the opposite. It’s a slow and patient job,” said Carl Bernstein, who covered Watergate.

For more about the SPJ conference, click below.

Source: Follow the Media