Comments on: Minneapolis Paper’s Video Push: Innovation or Desperation? http://rising.blackstar.com/minneapolis-papers-video-push-innovation-or-desperation.html Professional Photography Blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:56:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Frederic Wigginshttp://rising.blackstar.com/minneapolis-papers-video-push-innovation-or-desperation.html/comment-page-1#comment-14997 Frederic Wiggins Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:38:47 +0000 #comment-14997 Working as a reporter and sometimes photographer at a small newspaper in Virginia we've recently been asked to increase the amount of video we put online. I personally don't like the idea of convergence, but have come to accept it. We have a small staff and it does make for a lot more work for everyone when there's video editing involved -- *cough* especially when corporate didn't buy any video editing software and expects the photo department to edit everything with windows moviemaker *cough*. I think the best possible scenario though is for newspapers to just provide the best content with the most details. Period. Whether that's in video online, photo and audio slideshows or just written word. You also can't just put it online, you have to tease to it... create packages of stories with photos for the paper with additional photos and video and other exclusive content online.But that's just my opinion. Working as a reporter and sometimes photographer at a small newspaper in Virginia we've recently been asked to increase the amount of video we put online. I personally don't like the idea of convergence, but have come to accept it. We have a small staff and it does make for a lot more work for everyone when there's video editing involved -- *cough* especially when corporate didn't buy any video editing software and expects the photo department to edit everything with windows moviemaker *cough*.
I think the best possible scenario though is for newspapers to just provide the best content with the most details. Period. Whether that's in video online, photo and audio slideshows or just written word. You also can't just put it online, you have to tease to it... create packages of stories with photos for the paper with additional photos and video and other exclusive content online.

But that's just my opinion.

]]> By: Denver Photographer Dave Brownhttp://rising.blackstar.com/minneapolis-papers-video-push-innovation-or-desperation.html/comment-page-1#comment-14735 Denver Photographer Dave Brown Sun, 13 Jun 2010 00:18:34 +0000 #comment-14735 I think papers are a thing of the past. With the internet generation coming in full swing the times when people want to pick up the sunday paper are dwindling. Hell even coupon cutters are getting their coupons online now. Say goodbye to a form of media that has meant so much to so many people. I think papers are a thing of the past. With the internet generation coming in full swing the times when people want to pick up the sunday paper are dwindling. Hell even coupon cutters are getting their coupons online now. Say goodbye to a form of media that has meant so much to so many people.

]]> By: ian campbellhttp://rising.blackstar.com/minneapolis-papers-video-push-innovation-or-desperation.html/comment-page-1#comment-447 ian campbell Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:26:35 +0000 #comment-447 Largely agree. Problem is that most of the time we don't give readers the sort of information that they need -- we focus too much on what the advertising department says that the advertisers want, and so in a time of economic downturn we flog $2500 per person 3 day tours of the African savanna when most of our likely readers can't afford three cans of mixed veg. There's a lot more poor than there are rich, yet we angle the paper to the rich and then wonder why we're unable to sell to the poor. We're also growing more and more out of touch: one reporter said to me he'd quit if anyone called him at home, yet most of my best pieces came from a call after hours. In a lot of cases, lastly, we don't care. We don't care about the communities we are covering, we don't care about the impact of what we're putting in print,or how much damage it'll do if the he said-she said approach turns out to be someone scamming us up a storm. And we don't care if we get it wrong, a lot of the time: a duff headline seldom gets a correction block. So yes, the paper will suffer, and those who can't provide the core product -- local news for a local market -- will go under. Pity, because as a distribution system it's almost as good as the post office. Largely agree. Problem is that most of the time we don't give readers the sort of information that they need -- we focus too much on what the advertising department says that the advertisers want, and so in a time of economic downturn we flog $2500 per person 3 day tours of the African savanna when most of our likely readers can't afford three cans of mixed veg. There's a lot more poor than there are rich, yet we angle the paper to the rich and then wonder why we're unable to sell to the poor.
We're also growing more and more out of touch: one reporter said to me he'd quit if anyone called him at home, yet most of my best pieces came from a call after hours.
In a lot of cases, lastly, we don't care. We don't care about the communities we are covering, we don't care about the impact of what we're putting in print,or how much damage it'll do if the he said-she said approach turns out to be someone scamming us up a storm. And we don't care if we get it wrong, a lot of the time: a duff headline seldom gets a correction block.
So yes, the paper will suffer, and those who can't provide the core product -- local news for a local market -- will go under.
Pity, because as a distribution system it's almost as good as the post office.

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