The long road to convergence and back. Convergence and crossmedia journalism at Dutch Newsmedia

KLASKE TAMELING & MARCEL BROERSMA The long road to convergence and back. Convergence and crossmedia journalism at Dutch NewsmediaSince the end of the twentieth century, convergence and cross-media journalism are concepts that are widely used to guide the future of journalism world wide. This study analyses how Dutch media organisations aimed to integrate various platforms and newsrooms, and which decisive factors influenced this process. It draws upon an ethnographic research project in three Dutch newsrooms, representing different types of media companies: a newspaper (de Volkskrant), a public broadcaster (NOS Nieuws) and a crossmedia company (FD Mediagroep). Based on an analysis of policy documents and in-depth interviews with journalists, this study distinguishes three periods within the process of convergence between 2005 and 2011: conceptualisation, implementation and evaluation, and redefinition. This study analysis how and why media companies applied different strategies to establish convergence and cross-media journalism, and relates these to findings from previous international studies.