Mobile Journalism – the new trend in Media

By Nishant Nayyar

When the Dutch journalist, Trian Speil first started using his mobile phone to cover a football match, people thought he was crazy. Speil noticed that the footballers were not bothered about the device that was recording their game. His act of recording the match using a handheld device made him realise that it does not alter the sanctity of journalism.

And this is how mobile journalism, or MOJO, came to life.

The technological transformation of mobile ‘phones’ and multimedia has been taking place for a very long time. But it was until the birth of the commercial touchscreen mobile devices offering flat subscriptions of the internet that excellent spread production and creation of news content began to flourish.

Mobile phones now act as critical equipment in the media industry. Not only did it change the way viewers or readers consume news but also paved the way for the future of content mediums and types. Accessing mobile phone news applications have also gained traction from the everyday lives of people.

Now, let us look at how smartphones are taking over the satellite trucks.

The internet has transformed the way news reaches a more extensive set of audience, while simultaneously reducing the gear and staff, necessary for news gathering. A journalist doesn’t necessarily need a large satellite truck coupled with a TV crew to cover the breaking news. Now a single reporter without any camera person, but with a high-quality microphone and wireless broadband can cover and record events from ground zero. This new and flexible brand of digital news reporting is called mobile journalism.

MOJO is doing more than just changing how news is gathered, packaged and distributed by professionals. It is also democratising the role of reporter.

For example, the video streaming applications make it possible for almost anyone to broadcast an event live, with little or no editorial filter.

The whole content is so raw and original that any independent journalist or a blogger has the opportunity to create news. But this journalism threatens the big media houses who are accustomed to vetting and analysing every story before it goes public.

Reporting has always been a collaboration between the journalist and their sources. But with the introduction of MOJO, the scope of the sources has been altered altogether.

Things to keep in mind for MOJO

To make your mobile story shine, you need to keep a few things in mind which are:

Do not zoom

First and foremost, people should know their device's camera capabilities. Additionally, it is always advised not to zoom in on a subject from a handheld device as the picture quality stands a chance to pixelate. Avoid zooming and even if it is required then use a good camera phone with optical zooming qualities.

Proximity is important

Always remember to keep the object very close to you. This positioning makes it possible to get decent audio without any external microphone.

Start filming horizontally

When you start shooting a video, you should always record it horizontally and should keep the whole video like that. This is the primary rule of recording a video.

Keep your phone in airplane mode

Just to avoid the calls and incoming messages in between of the recording, put your phone on airplane mode and record the video on your phone camera.

Mojo the future of reporting

Mobile journalism is going to break down barriers which are otherwise encountered by film crews and camerapersons. It is almost like a potential revolution wherein people can gather and deliver stories. Relatively to the cost of a digital SLR or an OB van the cost of a MOJO kit is a low key affair. If you have the zeal to work and create news irrespective of the source, then MOJO is the thing for you. In the reportage, mobile journalism is producing powerful changes, the way online sites report. The mobile phones offer a unique newsgathering potential.

The 21^st century has people present in the loop of happenings of the world with a blink of an eye. To support the race of broadcasting, MOJO will sooner or later take the lead.

If you’re keen to cover world events for a major newspaper or TV network, reporting on sports for a local radio station, or writing about entertainment on the Internet, then you should pursue a course in journalism.

About the Author:

Nishant Nayyar is a Digital Marketer with Pearl Academy, Delhi having several years of experience in content creation, native video development and strategy, social media marketing and audience engagement.