The new age of journalism

We live in a new age where the news is no longer waiting on our doorstep every morning or on the 6 o’clock news. It’s now at our fingertips.

We can access it through computers, phones, Twitter — and of course the traditional means — a newspaper. The way we gather news is changing and the way we present it is changing as well. Newspaper companies don’t want just copy and photos, they want video, podcasts, live story chats and the list goes on and on and on.

As I entered my career as a journalist five years ago, new-age media was already breaking its way out through websites and such. It was the stone ages compared to the technology media outlets have and use today.

My point?

You have no choice but to keep up. Truth be told I’m a traditionalist. I love the idea of “hold the presses!” because there’s a breaking story. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era. But, since I’m here and I’m in the news business, I have to adapt, which means learning how to shoot and edit video (among other things).

May I just say, I spent the past five or six hours editing a video I shot Wednesday night. On Friday I shot some more video and spent Saturday editing. And let me tell you, when you’re trying to figure out an editing program on your own, it can suck....big time! Just ask the 10 people I called to tell them I was frustrated. But I did it, with a little pointers from a friend here and there.

Since the news never sleeps and this is a skill the bossman wants his reporters to have, I figured I’d take the initiative. Aside from keeping my skills up-to-date, shooting and editing video is fun. It’s another way to tell a story. And just like any story, some will be awesome and some won’t be so awesome. But the more you do it the
better you get at it.

Well, here is the second video I shot. The first was OK but the second was much better. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome.