Not Old Media vs. New Media Anymore- Hedda Barber

Former adversaries in the battle between old and new media, Texas Monthly senior editor Paul Burka and Eileen Smith, editor of texasmonthly.com, traded bickering for collaboration in a Mass Communication Week talk promoted as a fight between the two sides.

The debate between old and new media preceded the current call for media convergence.

"There is a process you have to go through to switch media," Alan Congleton said. "You have to have a debate."

Old Media
Burka has written for Texas Monthly since close to its inception. A few years ago, he wrote several columns dismissing new media and insisting that the old media should prevail.

"In the old world, we hired great writers and great editors," Burka said. "The reader could feel confident that information was accurate because of all the filters."
photos by Hedda Barber

New Media
Smith majored in print media in college, but rose to prominence as a blogger, writing In the Pink. She wrote rebuttals to Burka's columns dismissing new media. Texas Monthly hired as its first online editor in 2001 to lead the magazine's charge online.

"In the Pink had a different tone from Texas Monthly, normally very sarcastic and honest," Maira Garcia said. "Texas Monthly's doing great, they're web design's really good and they have Eileen Smith working for them."

Media Convergence at Texas Monthly

Now, many of Texas Monthly's contributors blog regularly on the magazine's website. Burka is primarily a blogger. The magazine films daily discussions between contributers and posts those on the website.

"Now we have the ability to be absolutely current," Burka said. The world doesn't wait for anything."

The magazine also previews the next month's issue on the website two weeks in advance and posts video segments that add to the stories.

These new media elements augment but do not replace the magazine.

"The magazine has to be our main brand because people like holding magazines in their hands," Smith said. "We're trying to leverage our brand into microblogs and email new lists."

Journalists and Convergent Media

With convergent media all the rage, reporters are being expected to carry digital cameras with them to interviews, film videos and contribute to the web.

New journalists need to be ready to work in this environment.

"If you're not a multimedia producer- if you don't know how to blog or write for the web, it's hard to find jobs," Smith said.

Smith recommends students write blogs to help prepare them for the world of online journalism.

The transition to online journalism and new media reflects a general trend towards online everything.

"It has to be new media because the world is changing," Kristin Morris said.