Journalistic Multi-Skilling in the News Agencies AFP, EFE, ANSA, and ACN
Abstract
This study clarifies the conditions that should be met by news agencies if they decide to hybridise their journalists to take on the roles of both photographer and camera operator. The main objective is to identify the limits of multitasking that should not be exceeded in order to prevent work overload from reducing journalists’ capacity to report. To this end, the investigation includes surveys, interviews and direct observation of each of the news agencies analysed. The state news agencies in France, Spain and Italy (AFP, EFE and ANSA) value their multi-skilled staff. They regard their versatility as a virtue that ensures a greater use of technological innovation and, moreover, results in a more efficient business operation. However, these three news agencies, which constitute a benchmark in Europe, conclude that news agencies will only continue to be central to the new digital environment if they prioritise the rigorous work of their journalists above their multimedia output. Polivalencia periodística en las agencias de noticias AFP, EFE, ANSA y ACN Este estudio enumera las condiciones que debe respetar una agencia de noticias si decide hibridar a sus periodistas para que asuman los o cios de los fotógrafos y de los operadores de cámara. Su objetivo principal es hallar los límites que no deben traspasarse para evitar que la sobrecarga de trabajo reduzca la capacidad de informar. Para ello la investigación incluye encuestas, entrevistas y la observación directa de cada una de las redacciones analizadas. Las agencias estatales de Francia, España e Italia (AFP, EFE y ANSA) valoran la polivalencia en sus trabajadores como una virtud que garantiza un mayor aprovechamiento de las innovaciones tecnológicas, que, además, desemboca en un funcionamiento empresarial más eficiente. Sin embargo, estas tres empresas de comunicación referentes en Europa, concluyen que, en el nuevo entorno digital, las agencias de noticias solo seguirán siendo imprescindibles si priorizan el trabajo riguroso de sus profesionales por encima de su producción multimedia.Downloads
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