Mobile journalism (Mojo) is a new and innovative way for journalists to do their job. Mojo has many different pros and cons, the three main cons being stability, lighting, and audio. As we learned in class though, these cons are relatively easy and inexpensive to solve with other different products such as tripods and led torches and even Apps like Periscope. When journalists use all these products along with the smart phone, an effect that is almost identical to that of a real cameraman is created. This means that soon, mobile journalism could be stealing the jobs of cameramen who simply set up their tri-pod and sit back and watch. With that being said, mobile journalism will never be able to replace, a good interact, cameraman who is on the move. This means that the standard of what it means to be a good cameraman will be raised.
Mobile journalism is essential to the future of journalism for a variety of different reasons. One huge benefit is that it is easy to travel with the necessary equipment. Everything needed for mobile journalism can be easily transported in an airplane or car very quickly. Some journalists even keep their tools with them at all times, in case they find themselves in the middle of something newsworthy, they are always ready to report it. It is also extremely cost effective because you do not have to hire a camera man or buy a fancy camera. The quality of videos and images is getting so good that it is almost impossible to even tell the difference between videos taken from a camera and videos taken with a cell phone.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLf4FzfhaVa/?tagged=mobilejournalism
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLIyYLSg0zV/?tagged=mobilejournalism
Nick Garnett, an English journalist for British Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the biggest advocates for mobile journalism, and has been very successful in his journey as a mobile journalist. He was one of the first reporters to live stream TV pictures from an iPhone to BBC news channel. He was also one of the first reporters to use a Voice over Internet Protocol app in order to broadcast in real time. Each day, Nick Garnett proves that mobile journalism is just as successful as any other method of journalism.
https://twitter.com/NickGarnettBBC
Geoffrey Roth, owner of Mojo Navigator, a mobile journalism training and production company recently just created the first newsroom to be completely Mojo based. It is for FOX, and is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The entire staff of journalists that work there, only develop their stories on iPhones, small cameras, and laptops. About his new newsroom, Roth stated, “They were able to get the stories that our competitors weren’t getting – we weren’t just being time-efficient and saving money, we were making a difference editorially as well.” His newsroom has been able to eliminate traveling and forth between reporting areas and newsrooms, as well as saved money.
Here is an example of one of the stories that Geoffrey Roth created, solely through using mobile journalism…
https://vimeo.com/channels/269003
Barcelona 2016 