A hammer, saw and webcam

Taking a step back to think of how journalists have functioned all this while. It started as a simple pen and notebook, ways of communicating began with basic telegraph and even the trusty public phones. Typewriters are used to set the stories; it would be catastrophic to have your editor scrunch up your stories and aiming it for the bin.

Today, I'm seated here with my laptop connected to the Internet on broadband links, my mobile phone, blue tooth enabled, 3 G enabled, allows me to connect and transfer data anywhere I want to.

I can be miles away from my headquarters and still file in a page one story. The mobile gadgets I have also has a camera which allows me to snap newsworthy photographs for print or uploaded.

Technology has transformed the way we work and it continues to amaze. Journalists no longer stick to their specific job scopes, able to be writers, videographers, photographers thanks to these tools. Likewise photographers, videographers can start writing and packaging pieces for the consumption of the world.

I refer to a reading from the Online Journalism Review at and how they provide a list of tools available for the multimedia journalist.
The way tools have evolved, it does not confine the journalist or media personnel in one place to access communication links and send their stories. He or she is even more mobile, able to work in makeshift workstations just as long as there are communication links.
It doesn't not restrict the scope of which a journalist can work in, he or she can travel and file stories of any kind without worrying about deadlines, traffic jams and other congestions.
Armed with these tools also comes with price, journalists have to be savvy to use these resources and adapt to the demands of the multimedia newsroom. This means the expectations of a journalist is higher, literally, he or she can be filing any story from any where, just so the infrastructure allows the access.
I always feel overwhelmed with these demands and expectations, as this change is inevitable. I believe then we fall back on the basics, of the audiences we cater and the purposes we write our stories for. It is time to capitalise on these resources for production of better stories, improved information delivery, in hope that we can enrich and raise quality of lives around us.