Multitasking journalist in local press. A trend (almost) inevitable in Catalonia

Abstract

Multitasking is one of the main features of media convergence. It is not new, small media have been forced to resort to multitasking or multi-skilled journalists for a long time. However, this figure is gaining an increasing signifi cance in the present context. Now, we can distinguish three diff erent levels of multi-skilling: Issue multi-skilling (journalists works on news related to diff erent thematic areas), Media multi-skilling (journalists produce content for diff erent media) and Technical multi-skilling (journalists are in charge of all or most of the production process). Th e main objective of this article is to describe the presence of multi-skilled journalists in Catalan local media. To explore the aim of the study we opted for a methodological approach that would combine qualitative and quantitative methodology, namely, in-depth interviews and a survey. Despite criticism for the decrease of product quality, results show that presence of versatile journalists is (almost) inevitable, particularly in times of crisis; and it is often being considered as a cost-cutting measure.