Multimedia and technology can save the newsroom
Seven tips for embracing multimedia
Not long ago, and skirting widespread media attention, the San Francisco Chronicle began using a quadcopter drone to capture video and photos.
Called Herb, the quadcopter, sporting a GoPro camera, has slowly (and cautiously) waded its feet into reporting and getting landscape shots of the city, mostly published to a “Herb’s Eye View” blog and Vimeo account.
It is just one of a handful of bright spots in journalism as the industry adapts to the 21st century and beyond.
It may not be news, but the journalism industry has been struggling in recent years due to declining revenues, relevancy, money and … money. As a result, the number of employed reporters has dropped by 32 percent from 2000 to 2012, from 25,000 reporters to 17,000, according to data by the American Society of News Editors.
Visual journalists like photographers and videographers have fared even worse: they recorded a 43 percent drop in that time.
It is clear that the news media has to adapt to this changing landscape — and no, not by newspapers letting go their photo staffs.
To survive, the media needs to embrace the 21st century by investing in multimedia, social media and non-traditional media.
I’m no expert — I’m a recent journalism college graduate — and all of these ideas have already been considered, but still they may help journalism adapt to a changing world.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Invest in new cutting-edge technologies like drones. Yes, there are currently murky regulations for drone use: The FAA requires potential users to get a permit, according to the Drone Journalism Laband the Missouri Drone Journalism Program. But news agencies should be on the front lines trying to make drone use legal. Drones will give a new news-gathering perspective such as showing devastation of floods and natural disasters.
2. Equip reporters and photographers with GoPro cameras. And Google Glass once it becomes cheaper. A point-of-view perspective will bring a fresh look into stories such as giving a behind-the-scenes “exclusive” feel.
3. Break down the fourth wall. Gone are the days of contextless, value-free inverted pyramid writing. Sidebars or special features on how a story was reported, background on something controversial that happened, or just a raw video showing a dramatic event can add valuable context to a traditional story.
4. Create a visible online Instagram-using, Google Glass-wearing ombudsman-spokesperson. People like seeing behind-the-scenes photos and commentary. A new social media-type editor could talk about upcoming stories and engage with the news agency’s community online. Stuff like this is not new — think of how broadcast hosts and weathermen have cult followings at some news stations — but will become more widespread with social media’s trend of transparency.
5. Invest in high-tech mobile news toolkits to further backpack journalism, so one person can single-handedly tackle writing, photography and videography. In the bag could be a tablet, GoPro, DSLR camera and a WiFi hotspot to transfer files from the field. In 2014 and beyond, every media staffer needs to be an expert in a variety of medias.
6. Get a news agency Vimeo account. The popular website is the place to go now for high-quality videos. KPCC, a Los Angeles NPR affiliate, produced a very high-quality mini-documentary video recently, “The Whale Warehouse.” It got highlighted and now has more than 63,000 views.
7. Copy the advertising industry’s trend of producing more polished, high-quality “wow factor” content. Content is king and readers want high-quality writing and videos. The journalism equivalent of high-quality stuff is longform (well-researched features that are in-depth, interesting and entertaining) and immersive experience multimedia works, such as the New York Times’ magazine-style “Snow Fall.”
There is no quick fix for journalism. But new technology does give the industry a chance to propel itself to a new golden age in this century.
And with quality and relevancy should come money — hopefully.
The media, after all, has always been about change — it paraded the printing press, radio, television and the Internet, and has no plans of slowing down now.
