- Good. "Pity the poor stuck-in-the-past reporters who don't understand the future of the news industry. Print newspapers are dying faster than anybody ever dreamed they would. The only future journalists can envision is a digital one, and that mandates video."
- Bad. "Pity the poor people . . . who believe video is going to magically save the business. It isn't happening. It isn't going to happen, especially when video sucks as bad as it does at all the Gannett products. Advertisers aren't gonna pay for it and keep paying for it."
Now, it's your turn: Join the debate, in the original post.
Most of the videos do suck, poor photo editors do not make good video editors.
ReplyDeleteThat's total b.s. Many of the videos suck, but a good number of newspapers are putting out decent efforts.
ReplyDeleteformer photo editor
I think part of the problem is on the way out the door the photographer is handed a video camera and told to shoot video at the same time he or she is expected to take more pictures than anyone will ever want to look at for a photo gallery.
ReplyDeleteDecent efforts are not going to save the GCI newspaper websites.
ReplyDeleteIn typical Gannett fashion, it's the cutting of corners that kills video at GCI papers. At first, three or four rising stars are sent for off-site training. Then they come back in an afternoon session or two to try and teach the other worker bees all that was picked up at a week-long class taught by pros.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's not even mentioning the editing end. Video folks who've spent four years of college and years of training just aren't found at newspapers (yet), but that doesn't stop Gannett from simply plugging in a rim editor somewhere as the new video editor (and getting that person into 'management' and off the time sheets).
Video is the future.
Gannett's half-ass, corner-cutting effort is the present.
DECENT EFFORTS: Good timing for the video debated today. Westchester had two motorcycle fatals just minutes apart yesterday. If you go to the link below and click on the MOTORCYCLE FATAL video you will see what a joke most of the video efforts are. Why post this video that shows nothing? Must be the quota thing again, they can tell GCI that they did X amount of videos this month. Does GCI have anyone that monitors the quality of the videos or do they just get impressed with the numbers?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/VIDEO/305110001/-1/Frontpage
Gannett videos largely suck because the company is more concerned with quantity than quality.
ReplyDeleteA couple days of video training is not going to turn photogs into master storytellers..., nor will it convert a non-visual reporter into a compositional genius. The video camera will only be successful in the hands of a photographer who ALREADY understands storytelling. Or a reporter who ALREADY gets it visually. Oh, and that person has to be GIVEN THE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT! Based on many of the inept videos posted to Gannett sites...that combination seems to be rare.
@7:56 a.m.: Amen; that's one of the worst ones I've seen.
ReplyDeleteGuess you and your posters are not aware that the Detroit Free Press won a National Emmy Award last year for video. Not a local Emmy but a national Emmy. Against competitors like PBS, Dateline, Wash. Post.com, etc. Expand your horizons folks. Complain all you want but the world's moving on without you.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Detroit. What about the rest of the company? I'm sure they win a bunch of lame in house awards.
ReplyDeleteThe posters are aware that there are a few sites that do it well and they are being fair by saying most suck, they are not saying they all suck. Expand your horizon and read the post more carefully.
ReplyDelete...and in related news, Detroit Free Press circulation dropped 6.45%.
ReplyDeleteThat Westchester video is awful! Why would they post that, it tells no story.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the Free Press for the Emmy. Also Kudos for the site redesign that isn't some BS bastardization of myspace, youtube, and flickr with a bit of news.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the Free Press has only been a Gannett property for what...two or three years? Hardly enough time to be completely decimated by corporate. As the budgets get continually cut, the quality editors and journalists will flee. Before you know it, they'll be on this blog touting Gannett Well Done contest wins instead of Emmys.
It's stupid to think video is going to save the franchise.
ReplyDelete