Jeff’s Words

Technology has changed the way we get news. The internet has provided us with an unprecedented amount of information. Never before have we been able to access the latest news from at home, to the other side of the world with just a click. The evolution of connection speeds through broadband internet has improved this already mind-boggling to the point where we can now set the news agenda.

Through new technology we can capture breaking news events on our own mobile phones and send them to major news outlets who publish the content. This was demonstrated in the terrorist attacks on London in 2005.

However, the internet has given us the ability to take the news agenda from the big boys. We can become sources of news if we want, and many have, eg OhMy News in Korea.

Speedy connections have broken down walls. Footage is available quicker than ever before, and the sending and filing of content has never been quicker. This benefits traditional journalists, and citizen journalists alike. Transport delays, weather etc no longer prevent deadlines being met. As a result news benefits and we’re all able to be better informed of the going ons in our world.

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Fast and efficient connections are the key to success in the new world of multimedia journalism. Broadband internet and the 3G mobile phone network allows for the rapid transmission of data, allowing news to be filed quicker than ever before.

Tech savvy users demand speedy access to data and want hassle free ways to upload content. With news gathering technology available to a mass market, anyone is potentially a multimedia journalist, or MoJo. Traditional media outlets realise this and have learned to embrace this. In Singapore, up to 85 per cent of Stomp’s content is gathered from users who capture news stories on their mobile phones. This has cemented Stomp as one of Singapore’s most popular news sites and provides coverage to stories that may otherwise be ignored. Stomp’s owners have also benefited through the ability to source more content for it’s traditional outlets.

The evolution of wireless internet provides journalists, professional and citizen alike, to overcome barriers and get published within minutes of an event breaking or data being received. There is no longer any waiting in traffic to get back to the office to file – it can be done on the road.

Hurricane Ike in the last week menaced much of the Caribbean before slamming in to Texas on Saturday (Australian time). Ike whipped up strong winds and a huge storm surge when it hit, but also whipped up another frenzy – content generated by citizen journalists embedded in the storm’s path.
A plethora of user generated content has already hit the web, ranging from pictures and video on the websites of broadcasters, to humble videos on YouTube. The Hurricane once again proved that user generated content (UGC) is now a vital tool in news gathering. Amateur footage provides news organisations with footage and content they would not otherwise have which enhances their own stories and brings the audience more of the story. We are able to get a better feel for a story when we can see content that was produced right there and then, by those experiencing the story.
User generated content took off following the London bombings, and now some organisations have dedicated websites for UGC. CNN has I-report while Fox News has launched U-Report. Both offer the user the ability to upload and distribute their videos and photos worldwide, with some making it to air.

The technological revolution has spawned a new medium of communication. Ipods, and other mp3players took the market by storm earlier this decade.

Most people under thirty now have an mp3player of some sort.

Mp3 players gave the consumer choice – they could put their music on small, compact machines capable of holding hundreds of songs. There was no need to carry bulky Discmans or walkmans, if you were still on tape.

The radio industry wised on to this and saw that their programming was not being listened to and came up with a way to penetrate an ever elusive market. The podcast was born and allows segments to be downloaded and listened to – no need to listen live. People could catch the highlights and stay connected to a programme and be more inclined to return.

Technology has evolved further and video features are becoming the norm too. Vodcasting is a growing sphere. The TV industry is slowly adapting to this, and has made TV series available for download, allowing people to watch their favourite show while commuting (eg, ABC, “Lateline”). The Nine Network has launched a daily news bulletin to tap in to this market and promote its brand.

The internet has allowed the development of converged mass media. News websites number the hundreds of thousands – both “official” media and self run “citizen” news sites, such as OhMy News.

An increase in the ammount of news online has brought together the need to build stories up in to a non linear format providing a wealth of information for the user.

As newspaper sales decline, publications have established strong positions in online news and tend to be much more developed in their multimedia or converged offerings than broadcast media counterparts, certainly in Australia, at least.

Story Building involves brings together a team from across the newsroom to work on special, expanded coverage. Stories are given multimedia enhancements, such as, video, audio, images, graphics, slideshows etc to build up the story and provide content that not only informs but compels the viewer.

Online news is continuously updated and allows for add ons to be added on after the initial first report. This builds upon special coverage that is given multiple pages in a print publication. Similar to print, extended coverage is given, but its taken to the next level, providing audio, visual and other effects impossible in print, or “old media.”

South Koreas’ OhMy News is one of the world’s largest citizen news websites. Launched in 2000, OhMy News has become one of South Korea’s most trusted news organisations. In 2002 the website’s influence reached 4.2 per cent of the population, while in 2004 that had increased to over 17 per cent. OhMy News is more trusted than some traditional and established media in South Korea.

The structure of Korean society has assisted OhMy News to growth. The nation is densely populated and highly politicised, and in the past has been dominated by a lack of media diversity and censorship which has strangled the flow of news and information.
OhMy News takes content from citizen journalists who contribute news, comment and review to the website, with individual stories seen by up to one hundred thousand people. OhMy News does check stories to ensure accuracy and facts, but the independence of contributors enables more stories to be told to the public, further informing the population. Coupled with fast internet connections, news can be online within minutes, challenging the previous dominance the old media once held.

OhMy News has since expanded – not globally (the internet took it global to begin with) but in to English.

The soundslide on the conflict in Darfur, Conflict in Crayon, is an interesting and effective way of telling the story of human suffering in the war ravaged region of Sudan. The multimedia combines audio, pictures and drawings to engage the viewer and offer a more personal telling of the story.

The narration by Dr Annie Sparrow describes her interactions with local kids stands out as the most affective and memorable part of the presentation. The presentation shows drawings in which the children have done of their experiences. One included a drawing of a young girl’s hut being bombed and a woman shot in the face, bleeding from the head. Dr Sparrow talks you through the presentation as you see the pictures, as drawn through the children’s’ eyes.

The multimedia presentation is an effective way to tell the story that may otherwise go unnoticed. Unlike print, by engaging the user through sound and vision the story gets noticed and has a deeper impact.

The “Darfur at a glance” section features text providing background information. Instead of the lengthy format which it is presented, a visual display could have been more effective, and in sync with the rest of the presentation.

Increasingly, the news media is relying on user generated content (UGC) for footage of news events. The July 2005 bombings of London’s transport network was the catalyst for mainstream media such as the BBC adopting UGC to supplement content. Photos taken deep underground of wrecked train carriages remain the only footage available to the media – and that footage was taken by passengers on the trains with their mobiles. Footage was sent immediately to news centres and screened worldwide.

UGC, or “citizen journalism” engages the consumer and seeks their contributions.
The use of citizen journalism is recognition that in the online world people have an unlimited number of sources for their news. Using user generated content provides access to footage which may have gone elsewhere. It also gives an outlet the ‘exclusive’ scoop.

Although UGC provides footage that otherwise may not be seen, it occurs at the expense of traditional journalism. Camera crews may have once captured footage, but are now replaced by video journalists operating as a one man outlet – reporter, cameraman, producer all in one. Rising costs have forced companies to consolidate and bring together online and traditional news desks, and use more content sourced elsewhere – through public contributions.

Time poor consumers who struggle to sift through truckloads of news each year, can pick the news with just a click of the mouse.

Broadband provides efficient access to a host of news and information. The user can pick a text version of a story, or watch it or listen to it. The internet allows them to watch their favourite (ABC) TV show when they want – through I View.

Broadband also given the news outlets new ways of sourcing content and reaching their audiences:
Mobiles (PDAs, Blackberrys), video journalists (VJs), user generated content, citizen journalism etc are easily accessible to a newsroom, providing cheap content which can supplement their own ‘professional’ material or even be an exclusive scoop.

The BBC employs VJs for their regional TV news bulletins across England where relatively large areas need to be covered adequately. It could be argued, and probably is, the BBC needs VJs in those regions in order to ensure news is covered – otherwise, if the costs were too high, local news could not be viable.

Convergence is clearly the way forward, and the extent of it’s reach will only continue to grow as both parties demand more for their resources and time.

See: http://www.abc.net.au/iview/

Multimedia journalism is a growing and evolving aspect of the new media world.
We’ve seen an accelerated expansion of journalism through the internet with news sites now featuring a wealth of multimedia features. Where once news was text, pictures (print), and video (television), with media convergence all these mediums come together on the one platform – the website.

There are new ways of telling the story, all giving the consumer more choice.

Non redundant content uses different media to tell parts of the story – this includes video, background information, maps, timelines, picture galleries etc.

Nonlinear content is where the user chooses how to hear the story. Content is provided in a variety of ways on a platform. The same story may be available as a text report, audio or video.

Multimedia journalism will continue to grow as the internet further expands. News organisations have embraced convergence and continue to adapt their web presence.

Sky News (UK) is perhaps the best example of this where video, text and audio come together on the front page – creating an interactive news site full of content for the user to explore.