The future of reporting

Naples Daily News Written by Dave Taylor


The future of reporting: The latest rumor about the future of television reporting is a big mistake. KRON-TV in San Francisco is reportedly pursuing the use of video-journalists for its newscasts. The station will use one-man bands to give viewers broader coverage of the Bay area.
Currently, large and medium size markets in the country send out two-person crews to cover news. There is a reporter and a photographer. While the reporter gathers the facts for the story, the photographer shoots the accompanying pictures that will later be put together as a package.
In a cost conscience environment, expenses can be reduced by almost 60 percent by providing one-man band VJs who shoot video and report. The reasoning is that in a 40-person newsroom, reporters may have to share five or six cameras. If you have twice as many cameras, some station managers think you can cover much more news at a reduced cost.
While this idea may have some merit, the quality of the reports by VJs will not be as high as having a two-person crew. It can be done, but when you are shooting video and trying to report, something has to give — and usually that is attention to detail.
Once this VJ idea happens in a large market, it is only a matter of time before it funnels down to smaller markets.