The Future of Television Journalism?

WMAR's decision to shrink its newsroom and have its remaining reporters, photographers and selected other personnel double and even triple their responsibilities - in some cases writing, reporting, photographing and editing stories themselves instead of handing them off to others - might prove to be the wave of the future for all TV news operations. Although WMAR is the first Baltimore station to focus on what is known in the industry as MMJs (multimedia journalists), they have become the norm in many cities as local TV stations struggle with declining budgets and ad revenue as well as increasing competition from other media. And while officials at Baltimore's other TV news operations say they do not intend to follow WMAR's lead exactly, industry experts see such journalistic multitasking as practically inevitable.