Donald O'Mahony's Comm 361 class blog

This chapter explains how to use video to tell a story. Video is often a more effective tool than words or pictures. A journalist in today’s world needs to have the knowledge and ability to shoot and edit video, and this chapter helps with the basics.

Video has recently become something that everyone can become involved in. The equipment has become more affordable and user friendly. According to the book, YouTube reported in 2009 that 20 hours of video gets uploaded every minute. Journalists need to learn how video can effectively be used to better tell a story.

The Flip Cam is an affordable option for anyone looking to shoot quality video. Image from groundreport.com

Video journalists, or backpack journalists, serve as both a reporter and a videographer on any certain assignment. They are becoming more common in the modern era because it is less expensive. A journalist that has experience with video has a great advantage over any competition.

A great use of video is during an interview. Video interviews are one of the most basic forms of journalism. The book gives a few tips for preparing for a video interview:

• Write a script and warm up.
• Be stable, breathe easy
• Don’t be afraid to talk with your hands
• Control your story with voice-overs

It is also important to learn how to properly edit your video. Make sure you shoot enough while you have the chance. You can always cut the footage short, but you can never add more. Most computers will have some sort of editing software standard. However, editing programs are becoming more affordable all the time. It might be a good idea to spend some money on a higher quality program.

In 1970, Phil Meyer wrote that “they are raising the ante on what it takes to be a journalist.” This statement has never been more true than it is today. This chapter talks about how a journalist can break through the barriers between themselves and their readers.

The chapter focuses on three different reporting methods that are becoming more popular in modern journalism. The first is crowdsourcing, which basically uses groups of people to assist with the work of one

 person.

The book gives an example of encyclopedias. The online version of Encyclopaedia Britannica can’t update pages as quickly as Wikipediabecause Wikipedia is updated by many volunteers instead of a select few employees.

The second method in the chapter is open-source reporting. The objective here is to become more collaborative with the reader. Instead of keeping stories secret until publishing, some outlets now release story ideas to the public and have people assist with the reporting. Instead of asking for specific help like in crowdsourcing, this method lets readers help in whatever way they can. This allows reporters to seem less biased because their readers are having an input on the story.