Going Mobile

The following is an overview and critique of Chapter 5 of the book Journalism Next by Mark Briggs:


Briggs states that mobile phones are like a swiss army knife that is changing the way journalism is done.  They can take photos, video, audio, text, and connect to the internet.  They can receive, display and publish all of these various forms of media.  The best part is they fit in your pocket.  There's no need for a journalist to carry around a laptop, video camera or digital still camera.  Reporter don't have to wait for a photographer or camera crew to arrive on a newsworthy scene. 

Briggs points out how mobile journalists can write and update constantly from the field.  They can take and transmit videos directly to their audience.  They can report any medium, from anywhere, at any time.

However, there could be come potential drawbacks.  More and more major news stories are reported by citizen (amateurs) who are on the scene by coincidence.  That's not necessarily a bad thing.  A bad example of this would be the recent incident where the NFL Dallas Cowboy's owner Jerry Jones was recently caught on video, probably having had too much to drink, with foul language criticizing Bill Parcells and Tim Tebow.  The grainy cell phone video appeared online.  Though Jone's comments were ill-advised, should just anyone have the right to secretly record another person with their cell phone and publish it online?

According to Briggs, true journalists should change their tactics (by utilizing the new equipment available to mobile journalists) without lowering their standards. 

The only potential criticism I see with mobile journalism is the focus seems to be on speed rather than quality.  The motivation seems to be how quickly can I get my content online rather than ensuring the quality of the product being placed online.  Cell phone videos and photo do not have the quality of digital cameras or video cameras.  But, they do enable journalists to post their media much faster.  This emphasis on speed could undermine true journalism, in my opinion.