Convergencia y polivalencia periodística en televisiones europeas y norteamericanas

Abstract

This article examines the implementation of multimedia newsrooms, which intend to unify the content production process for several platforms, (print, television, internet) and it deals with the consequences for journalistic work on television. The process of convergence is analysed, looking at the wide structural changes introduced in order to allow that journalists edit the news by themselves and produce content both for television and the internet. Convergence transforms the organizational structure, the level of multiskilling and the journalistic skills adopted by the professionals. The article enquires, through cases both in Europe and the United States, to what extent new organizational and technological systems are influencing the very essence of audiovisual journalism. Conclusions show that the work structure implemented in multimedia newsrooms allows narrowing the relationship between technicians and journalists, so that these might control the production process in a more complete way. This increases the advantages when taking up to the minute decisions. However, both convergence and multiskilling are a double edged sword. They can become a money saving strategy and they could diminish the quality of news content.