Preamble

Research on Role Transformation and Capability Enhancement Paths for Traditional Media Editors in the Converged Media Context

(Architectural Magazine Co., Ltd., Beijing 100835)

Abstract

[Purpose] With the advent of the converged media era, the information communication landscape has undergone profound changes. Audience attention has been highly fragmented by new media and self-media platforms, presenting traditional media editors with unprecedented challenges. [Methods] This study aims to provide practical recommendations and guidance for traditional media editorial teams and related practitioners, helping traditional media better adapt to the evolving times, continue playing significant roles amid the converged media wave, and promote innovation and integrated development. [Results] Grounded in the context of media development, this study employs literature analysis, comprehensive review of materials, and case analysis to examine the direction of role transformation for traditional media editors. The findings indicate that traditional media editors are currently undergoing the following transformations: from single-content producers to multi-content integrators; from "static" editors to "dynamic" communicators; from post-hoc processors of audience feedback to real-time interactive participants; and from pure "gatekeepers" to dual roles as "guides" and "service providers." Building upon this analysis of the requirements for role transformation in the converged media era, corresponding countermeasures and path recommendations are proposed. [Conclusion] These recommendations primarily cover the following aspects: strengthening converged media thinking, enhancing cross-media professional skills, cultivating data literacy, improving social interaction capabilities, fostering content innovation, strengthening cross-departmental team collaboration, and actively embracing AI technology to become outstanding media professionals in the AI era.

Keywords: converged media; traditional media editors; role transformation; capability enhancement; path research

In the wave of the information society, the integrated development of traditional and emerging media has become an irreversible trend. The transformation from traditional media to converged media represents not merely technological innovation but profound changes in communication philosophy, operational models, and audience relationships. In today's rapidly digitizing era, converged media has become the mainstream trend in media industry development. New media forms have broken down barriers between traditional media, achieving deep integration of newspapers, broadcasting, television, and other media with emerging online and mobile media—realizing resource sharing, content compatibility, promotional mutual reinforcement, and benefit co-creation.

As media technology and communication science rapidly iterate, audience habits of information consumption have also changed. Consequently, in the converged media era, the information communication landscape has undergone profound transformation, presenting traditional media editors with unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Against this backdrop, the original working models and role positioning of traditional media editors have been strongly impacted, urgently requiring corresponding transformation and capability enhancement to meet the new demands for media content production and dissemination in the converged media era. As a critical link in content gatekeeping, processing, and dissemination, whether traditional media editors can successfully achieve role transformation and effectively enhance their capabilities to play this "integration card" well has crucial implications for the survival and development of traditional media in the converged media era.

1. Role Transformation Directions for Traditional Media Editors

1.1 From Single-Content Producers to Multi-Content Integrators

Traditional media editors previously focused primarily on content creation within single media formats—for instance, newspaper editors concentrated on editing and layout of textual manuscripts, while television editors specialized in video content editing and production. However, in the converged media era, audience demands have become diversified and fragmented, with consumption habits oriented toward obtaining information through multiple channels and in various forms. This requires traditional media editors to transform their roles into multi-content integrators. Editors need to integrate diverse materials including text, images, audio, and video, break down barriers between different media, and repackage content according to the characteristics of different dissemination platforms and audience groups to create "products" suitable for converged media communication.

For example, in processing a news report, new media editors (or teams) must not only write accurate and vivid textual manuscripts but also select appropriate on-site photographs, interview audio, and related short video materials. These elements must be organically integrated to form a "content package" that can be pushed simultaneously or differentially across multiple platforms including websites, mobile applications, and social media, satisfying diverse users' information needs in different scenarios.

1.2 From "Static" Editors to "Dynamic" Communicators

In the past, traditional media editors' work was relatively static—newspaper editors completed manuscript editing and layout before waiting for printing and distribution, while television editors finished program scheduling before waiting for timed broadcast. In the converged media environment, however, information dissemination is real-time, dynamic, and continuously updated. Editors need to monitor event developments in real time, promptly supplement, correct, and expand published content to maintain freshness and appeal. Taking breaking news coverage as an example, editors must first publish brief messages on new media platforms, then continuously follow up by pushing more detailed textual reports, on-site photographs, and video interviews, adjusting subsequent reporting angles and priorities based on feedback and comments. This forms a dynamic communication chain resembling an ongoing "news live broadcast," with editors participating throughout the information dissemination process rather than merely completing fixed editing tasks at certain stages.

1.3 From Post-Hoc Processors of Audience Feedback to Real-Time Interactive Participants

In the traditional media era, audience feedback often exhibited time lags, making it difficult for editors to obtain readers' and viewers' opinions and ideas simultaneously with content publication. Today, converged media platforms have endowed audiences with instant interactive capabilities—they can leave comments, like, forward, and express their views and emotions at any time. Traditional media editors must actively participate in this real-time interaction, using audience feedback as an important basis for content optimization and dissemination expansion. Editors should monitor audience comments in real time, respond to their questions, collect valuable suggestions, and even invite audiences to participate in content creation through activities such as topic solicitation and user story sharing, transforming audiences from passive information recipients to active content co-creators. Such role transformation helps editors better grasp audience needs, enhance stickiness between content and audiences, and improve dissemination effectiveness.

1.4 From Pure "Gatekeepers" to Dual Roles as "Guides" and "Service Providers"

In traditional media, editors as information content "gatekeepers" were primarily responsible for reviewing and gatekeeping content authenticity, accuracy, legality, and values—determining which content could enter communication channels. However, in the converged media era, with massive and complex information, audiences often easily lose direction when facing numerous information sources. At this point, editors must not only continue fulfilling their "gatekeeper" role in screening quality content but also assume the important responsibility of "guides." Through thematic planning, recommending quality content, and interpreting hot events, editors help audiences organize information threads and guide them to correctly view various complex social phenomena and hot topics.

Simultaneously, in the internet context, editors must also become "service providers," emphasizing user thinking, attending to audiences' personalized needs, and providing customized content recommendations, information queries, and other services. For example, by pushing related articles and videos based on users' browsing history and interest preferences, editors can enhance audience experience and media loyalty.

2. Paths for Capability Enhancement

2.1 Adapting to Development Trends and Strengthening Converged Media Thinking

First, establish integrated communication awareness. Traditional media editors must deeply recognize the trend of mutual integration and collaborative development among different media platforms in the converged media era, abandoning past mindsets focused solely on single media. When planning topics and organizing content, they should consider from the outset how to achieve optimal dissemination effects across multiple media platforms, realizing "one-time collection, multiple generation, diversified communication." For example, for a cultural topic, they can simultaneously conceive in-depth reportage articles suitable for newspaper publication and video creative schemes suitable for short video platform dissemination, allowing content to demonstrate respective strengths on different platforms and cover broader audience groups.

Second, cultivate "user thinking." Editors need to shift focus from pure content production to user needs and experience, deeply understanding different user groups' interests, reading habits, and information acquisition methods. Through big data analysis, user research, and other means, they can accurately grasp user profiles and customize content and communication strategies according to user needs.

2.2 Mastering Diverse Skills and Enhancing Cross-Media Professional Capabilities

First, master multiple content production software within capability scope. To integrate diverse forms of content, editors need to proficiently master text editing software, image processing software, audio editing software, video editing software, and certain mobile applications. For example, when producing a converged media thematic report, editors should be able to use text editing software to write high-quality copy, image processing software to optimize accompanying photographs, audio editing software to edit interview audio, and video editing software to synthesize these elements with filmed video materials into complete and appealing video content, achieving diversified presentation of content forms.

Second, become familiar with different media platforms' operational rules and communication characteristics. Different converged media platforms possess unique operational rules, recommendation mechanisms, and user characteristics. Editors must deeply understand these platform differences and master skills for content publishing, headline formulation, topic setting, and user interaction on different platforms. For instance, Weibo platform emphasizes topic heat and immediacy, so editors should skillfully utilize hot topic tags when publishing content to increase exposure rates. Douyin, meanwhile, focuses on short videos' entertainment value and visual impact, requiring editors to invest more effort in creativity and visual presentation when planning Douyin video content, thereby better promoting content across platforms and expanding communication influence. For example, when the author's organization publishes new media news information, in addition to pushing conventional articles, they promptly transform news (static graphics and text) into short videos for distribution on video accounts, Douyin, and other matrix platforms—better conforming to users' information consumption habits and thereby attracting substantial audience traffic.

2.3 Integrating into the New Information Environment and Cultivating Data Literacy

First, learn to collect and analyze data. In the converged media era, data is ubiquitous. Editors should skillfully utilize various data collection tools such as website backend statistical systems and social media platform data analysis functions to collect data on content dissemination effectiveness, including reading volume, likes, comments, and forwarding volume. Through data analysis, editors can understand which content is popular with audiences and where improvements are needed, thereby optimizing subsequent topic planning and content production. For example, if articles on certain themes consistently show high reading volumes, editors can consider further expanding content and digging deeper around that theme to produce more related quality reports.

Second, make decisions based on data. Data should serve not merely as a reference reflecting dissemination effectiveness but as an important basis for editorial decision-making. Editors can adjust content topic directions, presentation forms, and publishing times based on data analysis of user interest preferences, geographic distribution, and other factors. When data analysis reveals that users in certain regions show extremely high attention to local livelihood news, editors can appropriately increase the proportion of livelihood news reporting for that region and choose to publish during periods of high local user activity, improving content relevance and communication efficiency to more precisely meet audience needs.

2.4 Meeting Challenges, Opening Minds, and Improving Social Interaction Capabilities

When traditional media face tremendous impact and audience shrinkage, traditional editors can also leverage new channels and platforms to expand influence, making the enhancement of social interaction capabilities imperative. First, actively participate in social media interaction through various new media platforms. Traditional media editors should proactively establish presence on various social media platforms, interacting with audiences in their capacity as media editors. They should promptly respond to audience comments and private messages, participate in topic discussions, and demonstrate approachability and professionalism. For example, when initiating discussions on hot topics on Weibo, editors actively express viewpoints and guide netizens in rational discussion, both strengthening connections with audiences and thereby understanding social opinion dynamics and public concerns to provide material and ideas for subsequent content creation.

Second, plan interactive content and activities. Editors can attract audience participation by planning content and activities with strong interactivity, such as online voting, knowledge quizzes, and prize draws, to improve audience participation and stickiness. Taking online voting as an example, editors can initiate votes on controversial social topics, allowing audiences to express their views, then write analytical reports based on voting results. This makes audiences feel their opinions are valued while enriching content sources and presentation forms, forming a virtuous interactive cycle and enhancing media influence in the converged media environment.

2.5 Innovating Media Content and Production Forms to Enhance Innovation Capabilities

First, enrich innovative content presentation forms. In the converged media era, audiences easily develop aesthetic fatigue toward stereotyped content forms. Editors need to continuously explore innovative content presentation forms. Beyond traditional graphic and video forms, they can attempt to utilize new technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to create immersive content experiences. When reporting on historical and cultural sites, VR technology can be used to allow audiences to visit sites as if personally present, experiencing the charm of history and culture and enhancing content communication power.

Second, innovate topic planning thinking. Editors must break through conventional topic planning approaches, excavating valuable topics from different angles and levels. They should pay attention to new phenomena and problems in social development, as well as niche but distinctive fields, combining current hot topics and audience interests for topic planning. For example, when numerous media are reporting on popular entertainment and sports events, editors can blaze new trails by focusing on stories of traditional handicraft inheritors, packaging and disseminating them through converged media methods to showcase traditional culture's unique charm, satisfying some audiences' needs for niche quality content and thereby highlighting media's differentiated competitive advantages. For instance, understanding that young user groups prefer obtaining relaxed and interesting knowledge-based information through short videos, editors can present scientific knowledge in vivid, concise, and lively short video formats according to this characteristic to increase content appeal to target user groups. Another example: the author's organization's converged media team once transformed originally highly professional and dry specialized content into long-image plus mini-animation format short videos, quickly "harvesting" a wave of traffic while winning unanimous praise and achieving good social benefits.

2.6 Emphasizing Talent Team "Integration" and Strengthening Cross-Departmental Team Collaboration

Within media organizations, establish cross-departmental collaboration mechanisms. Converged media content production often involves multiple departments such as interview, editorial, technical, and operations departments. Editors should actively establish good collaborative relationships with other departments to achieve information sharing, resource integration, and complementary advantages. Meanwhile, they can participate in external cooperation and exchange activities within the industry, learning and cooperating with other media colleagues and experts in related fields. By participating in converged media-related seminars, training courses, and workshops, they can understand the industry's latest development trends and cutting-edge technology applications. Collaborating with other media to jointly create quality converged media content—for example, media in different regions can unite to plan a national thematic report, integrating resources and distinctive content from various regions to expand reporting influence and form brand effects. Another example: when producing a large-scale converged media special feature, editors must communicate interview needs and priorities with reporters, discuss with technical personnel how to utilize new technologies for innovative content presentation, and jointly formulate promotion strategies with operations personnel to ensure smooth project progress, high-quality content output, and effective dissemination.

2.7 Enhancing AI Learning and Application Capabilities to Become Outstanding All-Media Professionals in the AI Era

With the rapid development of AI (artificial intelligence) technology, content creation and dissemination methods are changing, increasingly penetrating all aspects of life and work. Traditional media editors must proactively adapt to changes and enhance AI application capabilities. First, strengthen awareness of AI technology. AI technology evolves daily, especially in natural language processing (NLP), which has made significant progress. Second, enhancing data analysis and processing capabilities is key for traditional media editors to improve AI application capabilities. AI technology relies on massive data to train and optimize models, and editors can optimize content creation and communication strategies through data analysis.

Editors need to closely monitor AI technology development trends, understanding its applications in news reporting and content creation, such as data analysis software and natural language processing tools, to improve work efficiency and content creation quality.

Overall, the transformation of converged media editors' roles and skill enhancement paths are shown in Figure 1 [FIGURE:1].

Conclusion: Adapting to Changes, Cultivating Internal Strength, and Achieving Integrated Development

Modern media technology develops rapidly with each passing day, continuously posing more challenges to traditional media and editorial teams, requiring proactive response, bold transformation, and continuous innovation to keep pace with the times, produce quality content, and seek sustainable high-quality development. The converged media era has brought profound role transformation requirements for traditional media editors. Traditional media editors must actively and proactively enhance their comprehensive qualities through multiple capability enhancement paths including strengthening converged media thinking, improving cross-media skills, and cultivating data literacy, to better adapt to converged media era requirements.

New quality productive forces are developing vigorously, and all industries are accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces. The media environment against the backdrop of new technological explosion has indeed brought enormous challenges to traditional media, but it has also created new opportunities for traditional media platforms. With continuous technological progress and deepening media integration, traditional media editors will inevitably need to constantly adapt to new changes and challenges, continuously explore more effective role positioning and capability enhancement methods, and find their own upward paths in the converged media era. Traditional media possess professional news teams, solid planning capabilities, and long-established brands, extensive information channels, and rich experience—advantages that are difficult to replace by pure emerging media in the short term. Through development and editorial team capability innovation, new converged media can provide audiences with higher-quality, richer, and more demand-aligned content products, driving the media industry continuously forward.

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Research directions: journal publishing, converged media, journalism and communication.

(Responsible editor: Li Yansong)