Multi-tasking? Erm...no thanks.

Sarah Radford came to visit today - a pioneer of online media (sort of).

Sarah works for The Newbury Weekly News online arm. She is the material representation of everything we have been told over the past few months. She is a multi-media, multi-tasking journalist.

And, if i'm honest, it didn't sound fun. Sarah herself didn't look like she particuarly enjoyed it, she looked more bemused than anything. Her superiors spoke of a news room of Sarahs, where everyone had the skills to multi-task. I seriously doubt whether:

1. this is a reality in technical terms - writing is clearly very different to broadcasting so expecting every person to have a grasp of both is like wanting everyone to be able to run the 100 metres in 14 seconds. Some people just ain't runners, no matter how much training you give them
2. whether they will get enough people to make up this utopian multi-skilled newsroom.Most people on this course have chosen their option because that's what they want to do. Very few want to cross over.Even Sarah seemed to lament the fact she was forced to be broadcaster and hack: "I suppose we are a jack of all trades, master of none" (paraphrased)

So, it would be nice for the editors from a monetary point of view if we could all do everything, but in reality I doubt it's going to happen.