They say modern photo journalism began with the invention of the first 35mm camera in the 1920s, and since then every editor and publisher has understood how a picture paints a thousand words.
Just as the Leica freed photographers from the need to carry bulky equipment in order to ply their craft, recent technology advances are making it easier for journalists the world over to add video to their storytelling tool box.
And just as online and print publishers have been using photos to bring their stories to life for generations, the addition of video is helping the way consumers interact with and understand the news.
We've recently been working with Deloitte and research company GfK to look into how consumers view video news: literally and figuratively. The research: White Smoke, the New Era for Video News looks to decipher how consumers are using video and therefore how important it is for publishers and storytellers to get to grips with the medium.
We weren't at all surprised to discover that most (86%) UK consumers access news online frequently. However, more than three quarters of them (77%) said video improves their understanding of a story, and a whopping 85% said video brings a news story to life.
With video proving to be such an important tool for news publishers, do they need to hone their broadcasting skills, buy a host of broadcasting equipment and hire Trevor McDonald? The answer is no, or at least not yet.
Tens of millions of people recently tuned into "chimney cam" to watch the smoke turn white at the Papal conclave, and those who watched it live online were treated to a variety of techniques to add context to, and promote engagement with, the story. At the Washington Post, the team responsible for The Fold has deconstructed the television newscast and is posting video clips to its site throughout the day, bringing them together in a more traditional linear format only much later. Other publishers are using video to bring interactives to life or, as at The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, embedding short clips into the body of stories.
So far from taking on the news broadcasters at their own game – something only the biggest and richest news publisher will win – the playing field is being reinvented.
And if our research is anything to go by, adding video will become more imperative as tablet and smartphone penetration continues to rise. Indeed, not having video on your site will be as off-putting as a newspaper without photos. Deloitte found that a third of UK consumers would go elsewhere if video content was not available at their preferred news source. This is deemed especially true if the site charges readers for accessing its news content.
With the continued spread of connected devices, as well as increasing broadband speeds, we're expecting the consumption of video news online to keep rising. Already 89% of tablet-owners say they've watched news video on the device, 30% more than have accessed it via a smartphone. This isn't surprising given you're more likely to use Wi-Fi to access content with a tablet, but as smartphone screens get better and connectivity gets easier we're expecting video to be an integral part of the mobile experience too.
So not only do online publishers need to put video into the mix, they need to ensure the experience they're offering their consumers is appropriate for all platforms.
And it's the experience that matters more than anything. Publishers shouldn't worry about re-creating news at 10 online but worry instead about how consumers engage with their content, and on what platforms, or face being beaten by the competition.
Sue Brooks is the director of video transformation at the Associated Press
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