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Print hacks turn their hands to video

Posted: 24/11/05 By: Jemima Kiss

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The Hull Daily Mail newspaper introduced video reports into its online local news coverage this week just days after six of its print journalists underwent an intensive videojournalism bootcamp.

Hull Daily Mail's assistant editor Paul Hartley and his team were among a group of journalists from UK local newspapers on the two-week diploma in videojournalism, held by the PA at its editorial training centre in Howden, Yorkshire.

"We are currently looking at developing our multimedia skills in the newsroom and are experimenting with putting videos of local news stories on our website," Mr Hartley told journalism.co.uk.

"We're doing it because people want to access news in different ways and increasingly want to use the web. We have to respond to that."

The team wanted to introduce video reports to their site as quickly as possible to capitalise on their new skills and enthusiasm. More than 30 Mail staff had wanted to take part in the videojournalism diploma.

Course leader David Dunkley Gyimah said that the delegates were all excellent writers but some did admit to being rather technophobic at first - as well as mildly sceptical about the concept of videojournalism online.

The diploma introduced the basic theoretical and practical concepts of videojournalism, and showed the reporters how to tell a story visually using words to drive the narrative.

By the second week of the course, Mr Gyimah was running a 'videojournalism bootcamp' where delegates had to plan, shoot and finish a story in minutes. They also worked on a police recreation of a local murder story, piecing together press conference and location footage to create video reports on the spot.

"From the beginning I said it would almost be easier to train people with no journalistic experience," said Mr Gyimah.

"Print journalists need to turn that literal experience upside down to create a visual experience, and a visual narrative. They have to wrestle with things that are sacrosanct to print journalism - the very structure of the story.

"Our experience with this first batch of print journalists has shown that it's a big leap from literal to visual storytelling but it will work."

But he added that print journalists would find it easier to adapt to videojournalism than broadcasters would to print.

For news websites, video reports add value to coverage when the medium suits certain stories. Users will already be using the site for print coverage so video and audio are optional extras.

Broadcasters are at a disadvantage because they would need to direct their viewers to a secondary platform to introduce alternative text coverage.

"Most broadcasters use some form of wire copy for their pieces, but local newspapers are often the primary source of stories. So if those reporters can take a camera and get the story ahead of the broadcasters it puts them in a very strong position," he said.

"If they nail it, the broadcast industry really is in trouble."

More news from journalism.co.uk:
Video course targets hacks
Q&A: David Dunkley Gyimah, senior lecturer in broadcast journalism
Pioneering Brit scoops top US award

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