Newspapers Magazines and Journalists Must adapt to Video to Survive

Chicago, IL—The newsstand racks here like everywhere are starting to vanish. The IPad or Kindle Fire has already replaced our morning newspaper.

The new devices use text, photographs, audio and video. Broadband Internet is everywhere so publishers cannot afford not to begin adding significant amounts of video programing to their websites.

Print media was a one trick pony that has not been staying on the technology curve to keep their readers who are suddenly an audience.

The early forays into video were boring and hard to watch because print reporters were reading their stories to a camera. The right way is to get the video along with sound bites from newsmakers and mix in some narration. It’s far less complicated than it sounds.

Crisp clean video with great audio moves the story along. I should be ashamed that I’m too lazy to do this story only in print. Of course I’m not being paid for my time or I’d be delighted to do so.

Print media has come over to the web the printing press and typesetters have all but become extinct. Now they have no choice but to adapt.

The television news model was okay but lacked so much creativity. They dared not to experiment with what they felt was working for them. With terrific affordable equipment end editing software we should expect print media refugees to invent new and exciting ways to bring us our information.

Live broadcasts are cheap and easy. The only difficulty I see is to have their reporters learn personal grooming and to look sharp. They need not look like television news’ pretty boys and girls. They just have to display some energy as they report.

Yes there is a new learning curve. Journalists of today must know more than writing but shooting and editing and uploading video. There is the theater of good sounding voiceovers and the ability to simply relax on camera. It is either news organizations and their reporters learn or be left in the dirt.

Journalism is being replaced by broadcast journalism.

There still is a place for the printed word integrated with video and the web is the perfect home for this. We should welcome this change and so should every Webmaster, newspaper and magazine editor or corporate public relations department and educator.

The opportunities are beginning to surface for those that have the Knowhow. Assuming you already can write specialized training can be obtained at the New York Video School. They offer their course on line or in the classroom. Click here for NYVS.