Trying times for reporters at the sharp end

We've never known it so tough - that's perhaps the strongest message from journalists across the globe as the 2010 Winter Olympics draws to close in Vancouver.

Sports reporters from all over the world have converged on the west coast Canadian city for two weeks of thrills, spills, heartache and delight, but there is an overwhelming feeling that the spiralling demands of delivering instant, high-quality journalism across an ever-widening array of platforms is making this one of the toughest times ever for the industry.

Jason Stallman, deputy sports editor at the New York Times, and their Olympics co-ordinator has worked at the paper since 2003, and told me that even papers with a global reputation are finding it a massive challenge.

Jason Stallman. Picture: The New York Times

Stallman told me: "Of course there's always a race to get the story out there, and newspapers are having to act more an more like agencies all the time. But the real challenge for us is to make sure that quality doesn't suffer - it's what we're known for, and sometimes we'll accept that we might be beaten to the story but we'll never compromise on the quality."

At the New York Times, resources allow for a 'belt and braces' coverage of major news and events: "We'll have one guy writing the in-depth story, spending time putting it together, and another guy working on the shorter versions for online and other platforms. That way we can still get the news out there without having to compromise overall quality."

And tackling the challenge of trying to haul a profit from online news, Stallman said: "The system we're going with soon will be a metred system. That might mean that you're in Scotland and have a passing interest in something we're covering. You'll be able to come in, have a look at a set number of pages then leave, but for people who are more regular browsers and who want regular access to things that would cost money to buy in print there will be a charge."

Discussions with journalists and presenters across print, online, radio and televiosn from as far afield as the USA, Canada, Britain, Australia, Scandanavia and central Europe has revealed that the challenges faced by Scotland's media are familiar stories across the globe.

Reduced staff, the conundrum of free internet access versus expensive news generation, and the challenge of juggling multiple platforms are all too familiar stories - with most reporters finding that they are attempting to juggle completed print copy, running takes for onling presentation, Twitter or Facebook updates, post-match interviews, video pieces, audio pieces, blogs and reader interaction.

And indeed, reporters from Salt Lake City and Australia had very similar stories, and said: "We're both the only reporter that our outlets have at the Games, and frankly it's becoming impossible to do everything that's expected of us. Certainly it's becoming impossible to do it with any real degree of quality."

There can be no doubt that new technologies, and their hand in the rapidly changing world of journalism, are here to stay, and it will be fascinating to see what the media landscape looks like for London 2012 and Glasgow 2014.

However, it looks certain that there will be a continued split - with consumers finding it ever easier to get faster, cheaper news while reporters find it ever tougher to provide the quality of content that they hope to deliver.

* This will be my final blog from my Vancouver base, so I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who's been reading along and keeping in touch. I'll be back with more from Scotland soon. In the meantime, thanks to the British Olympic Association, Cardonald College Glasgow, University of the West of Scotland, all of the media and athletes who have helped make the trip a succes. Oh, and thank you Vancouver and Canada!