Photo by George Milton:
https://www.pexels.com/photo/phone-recording-video-of-talking-women-6953836/
-Rinkumani Pathak
Around 2 years ago, it was
beyond imagination for the journalists to work from home. But COVID-induced
situation made it happen and many media organisations introduced work from home
for their employees. Many television anchors turned their homes into studios thanks
to the utilities of mobile phones.
Mobile Journalism was prevalent
before COVID-19, but it made work from home easier for the journalists during
the pandemic. It has diminished the idea that in a newsroom everyone should be
within shouting distance of one another. From news anchors to reporters, mobile
phones helped them to carry out their jobs during the pandemic.
Natasha Ghoneim, a journalist
with Al Jazeera writes, “At a time when many of my colleagues were unable to
work in the field due to Covid-19 concerns and restrictions placed on travel, I
became a crew of one and began to produce, shoot and report my own stories just
a few months after completing the mobile journalism course. Granted, I already
knew how to shoot and edit. However, I
needed the training to learn how to produce news stories with my mobile phone
that met Al Jazeera standards. Due to working solo and with the limitations of
shooting on an iPhone, I chose non-breaking news, enterprise stories where I
was not bound by the demands of a looming deadline.”
Simply speaking, Mobile
Journalism is a kind of journalism done through mobile phones. Here, collection
and dissemination of news are done through mobile phones. It has relieved the
journalists from the burden of heavy cameras and other equipment. Aljajeera
Media Training and Development Centre defines mobile journalism as the process
of gathering and delivering news using a smartphone or tablet. It is a trend in
news covering and broadcasting and has the potential to become the new standard
in journalism practice, especially to report breaking news.
Earlier, mobile phones were
regarded as a tool only for citizen journalists who don’t have access to
sophisticated cameras. But presently, mobile journalism has become the utmost
necessity for all those in the profession. As the smartphones are endowed not
only with high quality cameras, but also internet-wifi and different add on
applications, it is certainly a comfortable tool for gathering, shooting,
editing, live broadcasting or sharing news.
The availability of Live option on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube etc. are another added advantage of mobile journalism. Gone are the days of ENG cameras and DSNG vans, now mobile phones have enabled not only to capture the visuals but also to go live from the spot at any point of time.
There are several advantages of
mobile journalism. First is its mobility. As it is a portable device it gives
us access to the places where we can’t go with a DSLR or any other big cameras.
It has become a one-man-show as mobile journalism doesn’t need large crews and
heavy equipment. On the other hand, in many crucial situations using a smartphone
is much safer for the journalists. It allows them to be less noticeable and
comfortably do their job.
In his paper titled “Closer to
the Story: Accessibility and Mobile Journalism”, Panu Karhunen finds that
journalists can closer to the story and subject by utilising the mobile
journalism.
The mobile journalists he had
interviewed for this paper said they were able to film stories that would have
been impossible with a TV camera and a multi-person crew. They opined that
mobile journalism can lead to more genuine and more intimate journalism. Most
of these journalists felt that people prefer to give an interview to a mobile
journalist than to a multi-person TV crew.
Mobile journalism has ensured
filing the news direct from the smartphones. Journalists can send the news
stories to the newsrooms through emails, clouds or any other apps with his
smartphones. Live streaming has become simpler and less expensive because of
the smartphones.
It can also fulfil the business
interests of the media houses as the live streaming allows the journalists to
engage with their audience in different social media platforms. The most
significant aspect of mobile journalism is that it saves money. A smartphone
doesn’t cost much. But it can replace a large crew and heavy equipment.
Therefore mobile journalism can curb the production costs.
Many prominent media houses
across the world are resorting to mobile journalism for various reasons.
Organizations like BBC has been emphasizing telling stories through
smartphones. Aljajeera is also one of the pioneers. In March 2012, Aljajeera
English broadcast a documentary titled Syria: Songs of Defiance shot entirely
with an iphone. As the Syrian government banned Aljajeera reporters the
undercover journalist shot the documentary with a smartphone.
Most of the news channels in
the country have embraced mobile journalism. Though, mobile phones have not
replaced studio and newsroom cameras, the reporters in Assam are also using
their phones to collect and share news.
Kanak Chandra Boro, Kokrajhar-based
journalist for a satellite news channel says, “I was introduced to MoJo more
than 3 years ago while I was working for a national media house. They provided
me a MoJo kit which included a mobile phone, tripod, monopod, power bank,
lapel, lighting equipment etc.”
Boro states that MoJo has many
advantages.
Kanak Chandra Boro, in a reporting assignment
“First, a mobile phone is
portable. We can collect and deliver news first. It is helpful to break a news
immediately. But it has limitations. For example—you can’t give a good coverage
of chief minister’s programme with your mobile phone. VIPs, VVIPs have certain protocol. Sometimes,
you have too shoot from distance. But mobile phones can’t help you with zoom
in. Network issue is another constraint,” he explains.
Dwipjyoti Ray, a correspondent
for a tv channel adds, “ Earlier people used to ridicule at the reporters
covering news with mobile phones. But now a days, everyone is using mobile
phone.”