Britni Petersen's Comm 361/Online Journalism Blog

In the fifth chapter of Journalism Next, Mark Briggs is showing the reader that “going mobile” is the next big thing to revolutionize Journalism.

With today’s mobile devices, people can “view, capture and publish or broadcast,” according to Briggs. Because of this, mobile journalism can be a great compliment to reporting.

So, when should you go mobile for a story?

Well, there are a few questions you should ask yourself when deciding. These include:

• Will the audience benefit if we can take them there?
• Will the journalism be better if its done on location and with urgency?
• Can this event be effectively communicated in small chunks over time?
• Will sound reporting or video footage, turned around quickly, help people understand the story?

If the answers are yes, then it’s probably a good time to go mobile.

Going mobile for a story is great when reporting criminal and civil trials, important speeches, breaking news, public gatherings (protests, rallies, etc.), sporting events and grand openings.

And mobile reporting is very simple. Briggs says, “At minimum, all you need is a tool to capture or produce content and a way to connect to the Internet so you can publish it.”

This is all a “light packer” needs, which is what Briggs defines as a traditional journalist who occasionally needs to report and publish.

However, a “gearhead,” which is an individual who is constantly reporting and publishing multimedia stories all day from anywhere and anytime, usually needs more equipment. This equipment should include a laptop, Inertnet connection, camera, video camera, tripod, audio recorder, headphones, microphone, and cell phone.

Whether you’re a “light packer,” or “gearhead,” you can also use mobile journalism to do live microblogging and blogging. This is a great way to connect with the audience. And because the audience uses mobile devices as well, they can help a journalist with a story by providing pictures and clips of witnessed events to the journalist’s blog or microblog.

Because people in today’s society expect to get the news exactly when it is happening, mobile journalism is a must. Furthermore, Briggs says, “Many smart people predict that mobile technology will change the media landscape more than the mainstream adoption of the web did in the 1990’s. So, get a jump on it now.”