Pop quiz: If you can remember the last time you saw a “backpack” journalist — a one-person band, an all-platform journalist, whatever you want to call them — filing a story on a network evening newscast or a prime-time cable news broadcast, scream out that reporter’s name. Loud. Louder, please. Chances are you weren’t just thrown out of your neighborhood coffee house/WiFi hot spot, or received any puzzled looks from your cube-farm mates in your office. You would be hard pressed to single out any next-generation digital journalists for recognition.
Renay San Miguel's piece on backpack journalism raises some good points. But he fails to acknowledge the real trailblazers who've demonstrated for decades that it is possible to be first rate reporters as well as shoot(and some capable of editing)video. Jon Alpert for NBC News and later various outlets did remarkable work whether in Cuba, Nicaragua, or the Far East. The late Neil Davis, an Australian, did pioneering work for ABC and Visnews. Arthur Kent, better known for his work for NBC News, distinguished himself in Afghanistan shooting and reporting for CBC and NBC News.Martin Seemungal from my old CBC was and is a superb video journalist who also edits. He has worked for ABC News and more recently is doing perhaps his best work ever for WorldFocus Tv. Others who have stood out include talented Canadian women Nancy Durham for CBC and freelancer Jane Kokan.
In Britain, Inigo Gilmore now a freelancer working in NY, has been outstanding for Channel 4 News.
Al Jazeera English's Casey Kaufman is impressive.
The real issue is whether video journalists are trained and nurtured and used effectively as part of an intelligent newsgathering strategy or whether they are exploited-deployed for budget cutting reasons. Michael Rosenblum, the vj guru, argues that any news organisation that fails to deploy vjs is doomed to failure.
Always enjoy your stories, Renay! Nice to be connected to such a well-rounded, professional journalist from my hometown and graduating class! Thanks, Bro!
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Searching for the Ed Murrow of the Backpack Journalist Generation
Posted by: Renay San Miguel June 5, 2009 04:00 AMPop quiz: If you can remember the last time you saw a “backpack” journalist — a one-person band, an all-platform journalist, whatever you want to call them — filing a story on a network evening newscast or a prime-time cable news broadcast, scream out that reporter’s name. Loud. Louder, please. Chances are you weren’t just thrown out of your neighborhood coffee house/WiFi hot spot, or received any puzzled looks from your cube-farm mates in your office. You would be hard pressed to single out any next-generation digital journalists for recognition.
In Britain, Inigo Gilmore now a freelancer working in NY, has been outstanding for Channel 4 News.
Al Jazeera English's Casey Kaufman is impressive.
The real issue is whether video journalists are trained and nurtured and used effectively as part of an intelligent newsgathering strategy or whether they are exploited-deployed for budget cutting reasons. Michael Rosenblum, the vj guru, argues that any news organisation that fails to deploy vjs is doomed to failure.