Saturday, March 04, 2006

Evolving media explored by new media



Vbloger Steve Garfield recently visted New England Cable News TV for a report he filed on Rocketboom.


What's interesting is the way NECN has partnered up with The Boston Globe and has been able to implement the two mediums and then been able to pull it off. In the Bay Area we've seen this trend emerging for years. KTVU has an on going partnership with The San Francisco Cronicle. Closer to home (at least for me) NBC affilate KNTV is a news partner with the San Jose Mercury News. A partnership that has resulted in much cross medium coveregae and, in my opinion, more in-depth stories for both sides. Of course this is a fairly new trend ... but with the excitment and the gusto that NECN's Director of Digital Media Steve Safran presents it with in Garfield's report, it seems to be a part of the new journalistic landscape.

Which sounds great, but makes me wonder, and should too get other photojournalist thinking. The question arises, that in this increasingly broadband era, where video isn't a pipedream and TV news stations are combining with newspapers for one joint online destination. If the newpapers provide the deeper, longer, and more detailed stories and the TV News provides the visuals with video spots and features... then what's let for photogrpahers in this equation?

The San Jose Mercury News photographers for one, has begun to experiment with video and personally on my college paper, as the online editor, I've been pushing for more multimedia and trying to give any photographer in sight a chance to learn something that could become a part of the job in a few short years.

Personally, I feel there will always be a place for photojournaislt, but it's a debate worth having. Just what is the value of photographes in the new media landscape and how must we, as photojournalist, adapt to it?