The news business is changing so fast it is almost impossible to stop and chronicle the shifts and teach those who would like to come along.

Which is why Adam Westbrook's 6 x 6 document is such a terrific addition to the public sphere at a critical time. Westbrook is a multimedia journalist in London and a lecturer at Kingston University.

"If 2009 is remembered for one thing in the journalism history books, it will be for when the industry stood at the crossroads, seemingly paralysed by the upheaval in the methods of publishing and distribution," he starts.

But "the revolution spells opportunity" and the need for new skills.

His guide looks at the technical skills of video, audio, and storytelling, and the non-technical skills of branding, business and making things happen.

It's a great starting point for new journalists and an even better wake-up call for those into the career.

This week classrooms fill again with aspiring journalists. I am fortunate to teach part-time at the graduate school of journalism at University of British Columbia.

It will be my sixth year as an adjunct professor and I've connected with some great young talent and fine colleagues in the team-teaching Integrated Journalism (iJournalism) program.

This is, despite what some might think, an extraordinary time to move into journalism, partly because the technological support for story-telling has never been better. Even if some organizations are in restraint mode, opportunities abound for those with the new skills. Talent emerges, no matter the economic context, because there is a demand for journalism.

With the new journalist in mind, here is a resource to recommend: One of the most sound guides for the new and old alike comes from Mindy McAdams at University of Florida. Her Reporter's Guide to Multimedia Proficiency involves 15 assembled blog posts on a variety of skills she identifies as core competencies in the digital age.

Among the topics: consuming quality, recording, blogging, photography, video, editing, SoundSlides, multimedia story-telling and publishing. McAdams is a veteran professor and this thoughtful package reflects her experience.