By Victoria Genuardi

Members of the panel ranged from a newly graduated college student from Current TV to “a dinosaur” from the Naples Daily News.

They discussed the trends, challenges and opportunities in the field of journalism today through the emergence of “new media,” a reference to the convergence of print and broadcast journalism elements – such as text, photo and video—on the Web.

“You have to be able to reach everybody, everyday, in their own way, so that people will get their news in the way they are comfortable,” said Suzanne Levinson, director of site operations at the Miami Herald.

Phil Lewis, editor and vice-president of the Naples Daily News, said once he realized the Internet was becoming a dominant part of journalism, he “blew up” the newsroom. 

It needed to be completely transformed into a multimedia environment, he said.  “It was a real change that had occurred.”

It is a change that is under way at many other newsrooms across the world, including The New York Times, said Brent McDonald, a video journalist.  Newsroom are getting used to new ideas.  New media, he said, “is not in the business of breaking news.”

Will Payne, a college outreach associate for Current TV, said the new medium presents a new “freelance” model with further opportunities for younger journalists, who do not need to struggle to climb up the corporate ladder in the traditional way.

“Visual storytelling is something that people are developing at a younger age—some even as young as high school,” Payne said.

A roomful of communication students, mostly journalism students, was in attendance.

Samyog Pokhrel-Willett, a junior journalism student, said the panel was enlightening.

“I think they gave very good advice for students who want to be good journalists,” he said. “Journalism is a very different world than it was in the past and they helped us understand that well.”

All panelists urged students to keep an open mind and learn every kind of media. 

“We need to think outside the box,” visual journalist and multimedia producer at the Miami Herald, Ricardo Lopez, said.  “The sky’s the limit.”