Vince_Q
While I too wait for my book, I wish to ask a question based on my work over the summer of 'Video Editing Slave' at a local news station.
Do you think that the broadcast news industry faces a crisis right now with online blogs that cover news stories? What about regular news sites that are able to update instantly such as Wikipedia and the outlets such as Yahoo? And if so, what do you think they can do to keep up, short of becoming an internet company themselves?
Labels: Vince
posted by John "Vince" Martin @ 3:24 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
"Fear Not" I say but take heed and make the necessary adaptations to ensure that the future will include them. There are still far too many Americans who rely upon TV for their news. With internet access still out of reach for many americans it would be an out cry so loud that the world would shake of broadcasters decided to yield go bloggers. Plus, I like facts and not oppinions and while the news is not totally unbiased I sure trust them more than your blogger who may or may not know what the hell they are talking about. As far as Wikapedia is concerned...I'm on it and all my info isn't right so I'm sure there is other screwed up info on it as well. Broadcast news is definately safe for now.
Are traditional news outlets in trouble? Locals, yes. Nationals, no.
John Doe down the street can pick up a camera and capture news that is occuring outside his apartment in downtown New York before any news outlets can get there. He'll post this to his news-oriented blog.
Six or seven more rounds of this, and he is going to start gaining a reputation of being the city's news outlet. Before he knows it, more people are going to his web site than watching the 5 o'clock news on TV.
However, it's a bit tougher for John Doe to fly to Cape Canaveral to document each shuttle launch. National news wins.
I bet Underhill has an idea about the issue...
Let them eat cake!
Seriously... the redemption of the current news industry lies in personal markets. Right now the easiest way to do this is by turning news consumers into producers.
Personally I look for my news in markets other than CNN, Fox, and Local markets because I'm tired of reporters digging and trying to create scandals where they should merely be reporting.
Just the facts please, just the facts.
Yes, I do think it's a problem! A friend of mine is a newspaper reporter and is inundated with comments on the blogs that his paper makes for their articles. Most of these posts are quite passionate... but they're biased! So instead of focusing on his work and his craft, he is forced to deal with angry reactions to his article by Joe Blow who managed to figure out how to get on the internet.
As long as the news station stays unbiased and fair, there will be a market for it. However if they start to create stories or exaggerate problems then they are going to do nothing but kill them selves. My friend was down in Tenn. the week before and said he saw a local news station report that QB Vick was going to get a 3 billion dollar fine!!!
The difference is storytelling. Sure we will have the public to capture spot news and blog about thier own causes, but it takes a storyteller to make a difference. Any Joe can buy a camera that looks as good as those the tv station uses, but it takes a storyteller to really captivate and illicit emotions. I often say the difference between "home movies" and storytelling is that the storytelling can stand alone and get the point across without any extra help. Home movies or videos need explanation, "Whatch this, Aunt Gert is going to fall off the dock while trying to cast her fishing line." Storytelling video uses the images, sound and how the y are both arranged to tell a story. So far that's a technique few people outside the professional world have mastered.
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