Technological innovation has fundamentally changed the nature of field work. The era of laborious editing sessions and overlarge cameras is a thing of the past. In its place is a faster more efficient industry.

 “The change that’s been incremental is the speed in which information could go from the creator to a mass audience, “ said Roger Gillespie, assistant managing editor of the Toronto Star.

Gillespie added that the methods by which journalists are communicating while on the field has changed journalism. “The change has been the way information is delivered. That’s probably been a bigger change than the immediacy of information, “  he said

Mike Knoll, multi-media editor of the London Free Press has seen a dramatic change in the newsroom in the three years that he has been at the paper.

“When I started there were only three computers in the newsroom with access to the internet.  Now every computer has access to the internet. Now every reporter has a phone that has access to the internet,” said Knoll.

“The thing that has probably changed our work the most is the rocket sticks which allow us to connect to the internet on our laptops out in the field,” said Knoll.

Chris Dick, a Canadian freelance photojournalist said that the integration of USB sticks into both video and photo cameras have made the editing and storage process much easier.

In terms of camera technology, Dick believes that video was the driving force behind the changes that took place in the 1990s. He credits the Canon 5D Mark 2 released only five years ago as setting the standard when it came to shooting video.

“For the longest time we were trying to get a decent still photo with a television camera.  And all of a sudden a photo camera turned into a video camera,” said Dick about the Canon.  Now almost every camera has the ability to shoot video and take still photos.

Dick added that the technological trends are also affecting broadcasting. “There was always an emphasis on live streaming,” Dick added.

There is an almost unanimous view that smartphones will continue to be used by mobile journalists. “I think smartphones are devices that are continuing to change. You can send photography; you could send video almost instantly. It’s a big change,” said Roger Gillespie from the Toronto Star.

“We’re seeing things happen a lot quicker and live updates given from smartphones apps. That trend is continuing,” said photojournalist Chris Dick.

Dick added that the progress varies from different markets but the change is showing no signs of slowing down. “Not so much in Toronto because they tend to be a little slower in the bigger markets. The smaller places are what drive innovation.”