June 9, 2004
Web Reporters on the Scene Fast
Steve Outing for E-Media Tidbits describes how the web staff of the San Diego Union-Tribune covered a school-bus crash.
"Our first alert came in from our [emergency-alert] pager; after confirming with other sources we put up a breaking news alert. We used our news chopper (we have an agreement with the provider of the television news chopper to capture video anytime it is in the air) video to grab a frame for the upper photo [ on this page ], and the lower photo by Greg Magnus was sent by wire from his photo cell phone which he also used to report from the scene. Jeff Dillon wrote the story using TiVo to review the details as a press officer talked to a local TV station as one of our news sources." [Later in the day, the site sent a videographer to the site and integrated video into the coverage.]
Steve points out "How refreshing that newspaper websites are doing more original reporting. There's an example of not just relying on print-side reporters but utilizing website reporting resources."
For more on camera phone equipped journalists reporting live, check out this category in Picturephoning.com
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