How can reporters get multi-media?

In today's job market, while newspapers are suffering. The biggest plus to a print resume right now is online, broadcast or multimedia experience. U of C Berkeley, Knight Digital Media Center suggests the term is all emcompassing. Yet it seems difficult at times for print reproters to think within the vast and creative world of video or audio, but I don't think its as hard as people make it out to be. Carrying a video or voice recorder maybe as simple as sketching notes down on paper. It helps back up notes and adds interesting elements to an online package like no other. Learning mutimedia reporting is really the wave of the future since, online is merging all these journalistic worlds into one. There is a good chance that being the most creative in-depth reporter would be even better if multimedia aspects were used to enhance the story-telling. It might be easier than you think.

Multimedia storytelling methods

The web has really enhanced storytelling possibilities for journalists. Now we can determine what medium tells the story best - text, graphics, audio, video, photos or some combination. Juan Thomassie, of USA Today, suggests content must determine the best way to tell a story online. Regina McCombs, senior producer for multimedia at StarTribune.com in Minneapolis, says a key ingredient for a strong multimedia story is emotion.

Oops! UNC student journalist, 140,000 - John Edwards, 0

The John Edwards campaign tried to squash a video produced by a University of North Carolina journalism student, according to a story in the
News and Observer. The video, produced for the campus TV station and posted on youtube, asked if the location of Edwards Chapel Hill headquarters in an exclusive neighborhood squared with his poverty campaign. The brouhaha backfired - at least if Edwards did not want it to get publicity, according to a UNC blog. By Sunday night, the video had more than 140,000 page views. I'm guessing the student reporter never expected the reach her video has gotten - another lesson in the power of multimedia reporting and the web.
What do you think? Of the reported move by the Edwards camp? Of the student video?

Ready to learn new tricks?

A report from a college media conference says Washington Post digital wunderkind Rob Curley told a room full of college journalism students that too many students are resistant to learning online skills. His advice: If you want a job in journalism - get over the resistance, fast! And in Florida, Mindy McAdams tells students at an SPJ meeting that recruiters want to hire students with online skills. McAdams also tells students how easily they can learn multimedia skills - to broaden their storytelling arsenals - on their own. Finally, editors at a conference in Maryland talk about what they're looking for when they hire. Guess what! It's multimedia skills or at least openness to learning new things.
So where do you stack up? Are you trying to learn online skills? Do you see it as a way to reach more people with your stories? Or are you resistant? And why?