A backpack journalist is someone who can go cover a story by themself and have the means to record video, interviews, and take pictures that can be set up to broadcast on television live or to be aired at a later date. They have the knowledge and the means to do these things on their own with more mobility than a regular camera crew would have.
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Jared Silfies carries a laptop, iPOD, notebook, student planner, digital camera, power adapter, The Elements of Style, a flashdrive, a smartphone, a voice recorder, a digital video camera, a pouch containing pens, pencils and highlighters, and a SD card reader. I have not read The Elements of Style, however based on the title it seems that Jared likes to tap into his resources to find new and exciting ways to deliver a story to his audience.
Christine McKenna has an impressive amount of experience in several areas. She has been a producer, editor and a writer in several different areas. She has done a remarkable amount of traveling in order to gather what she needed for her projects. A considerable amount of research was no doubt required, which is why I feel she would need a laptop that had internet connection and enough memory space to hold programs that would allow her to display all her videos, pictures and interviews that she gathered. That being said, she would most likely have a digital camera, a digital video recorder, voice recorder, flash drives, extra battery and battery charger for her laptop and memory chips for her cameras and recorders. McKenna is currently working as a consultant and web producer for PBS.ORG. The link below is to her website:
