Video Coverage: The Future of Digital News?

By Erin Menardi

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Facebook may be on to something: since its launch of the auto-play video feature in May, the site has seen a tremendous spike in user engagement and click-through rates. 58% of Facebook users actively engage in these videos, and over 1 billion unique visitors are reached per day (yes, per day) with the implementation of this feature. Drawing from the data, it’s easy to see that people respond to video content in a big way. This idea translates well into the world of online writing and reporting.

While Facebook is only one company beginning to see exponential growth with its video content, many other large businesses and news media sites are seeing similar success. CNN has an entire web channel devoted to breaking news videos. CBS, ABC, and NBC all follow suit.

Goodbye Photojournalism, Hello Amateurism: The Downfall of Journalism Specialists

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In a gust of controversy, the Chicago Sun-Times fired its team of photojournalists earlier this year. The justification? Reporters armed with iPhone cameras can do the job just as well.

Is this practice the new paradigm? An article by Lou Carlozo recently questioned if photojournalists are a “digital casualty.” A main point of the Chicago Sun-Times’ decision, Carlozo says, was to devote more dough to video production (that is, reporters hitting “record” on their iPhones).

As more publications move online, users demand interactivity. Brands amp up multimedia, brainstorming new ways for users to click and browse. Online newspapers become flashier and more involving, and “play” buttons abound. But will old-fashioned print journalism—and the photographs that accompany it—be left in the dust?

Video ad appears in Meredith magazine

Posted by Jill Van Wyke

You may not want to view a video of microscopic worms (eiuw!) in your favorite magazine, but Meredith Corp.’s Successful Farming magazine thinks its readers will.