Multimedia in Journalism

Multimedia in journalism is the new "it" thing. As Fink says, there is a growing need for an efficient synergy between print news, online news, and all the other up-and-coming elements of media.

Video and audio have long been partnered components to online news stories, but they haven't always been absolutely crucial. Supplementary, but not essential.

Today, video has become a bigger component. It truly adds something to the story. Do I think it will replace the written word? No. But, I do think it adds a vital element to news. It makes the written word come alive for the reader/viewer.

For example, this CNN story on a Medal of Honor recipient's history is complete by itself. You can read the online article and get the full story. But, if you open the video, the story comes alive. You see pictures of the man. You hear the voice and see his son talking. You see in his eyes what it meant to him to find out the truth of his father's death. You get the story on all levels: you hear it, you read it, you see it. In the end, you haven't just read over a story, you have experienced it. More than likely, it has impacted you in some way. Now that is multimedia at work.

But still, videos do not accompany every single article. They are available, rather, when a news source determines that a video will effectively add something to a story. Also, videos are available without the written stories, too.

The New York Times has an entire section of just "Videos," many of them telling a story alone without anything else. They are equally as effective--if their titles can draw an online viewer in enough to click on the video.

This NYTimes video tells an interesting story through a video with just pictures and audio. I made the decision to click on it and it was very interesting and effective. Being a different medium, it opened the gay marriage discussion in a new light to me. I was more inclined to watch the video and listen to it, than to read yet another article about the age-old discussion.

USA Today does much the same thing as both CNN and the NYT. Their website includes a section on video. Most of what I found there, though, were not videos that told entire stories. Most videos seemed supplementary. In this video, for example, you see images of the hurricane in Bermuda. The small caption below the video gives a brief description of what'll you see. There are no voices, just "raw image," as the video description denotes. Personally, I think this video would be better paired with an article.

I think news sources are learning how to use multimedia best in journalism. I am learning, too. I think my chosen videos are good examples of what is out there. I personally like best when a video tells a story alone--it can be paired with a story or stand alone. I think videos will be a part of the future of journalism; they show a story in a way that words cannot express.