This past decade has seen a rapid increase in the need for instantaneous and clear communications in the world of journalism. However, although people may have expected for news and media outlets to come up with their own technological upgrades and responses to this need, the innovation that came to news actually originated from consumer-targeted video calling, specifically Skype.
It was through Skype that we learned the stories of soldiers in the war in Iraq. It was through Skype that people in Japan were able to communicate the event and aftermath of that horrible tsunami to the outside world, where no news trucks could approach and come to their places.
And, as more and more mobile users start using Skype via 3G and LTE signals to connect to the outside world, it is highly likely that a new face of Journalism will emerge and turn out to be the perfect amalgam of professional and citizen journalist. Skype can truly bring global journalism back in the hands of the public and out of the control of corporate big-wigs who can afford the equipment.
So why should you, or any journalist think about using Skype?
1. International Access. You no longer have to shell out a huge amount of cash to make crucial international calls or to conduct long-distance interviews. Skype makes international calls cheaper and more accessible.
2. Video. Gone are the days when long-distance phone patch interviews needed to be broadcast as a choppy voiceover of a loop of old pictures or whatever footage the network can get its hands on. Skype calls provide video and thus, more value for the audience and the journalist. But can you record a Skype call? We’ll get to that in a second.
3. Recordability. Although there’s nothing wrong with good old-fashioned note-jotting, as a journalist you have to always be aware of one rule: if it isn’t on tape, you have no story. Skype video call recorders like SuperTinTin can help you keep accurate logs of any interview, whether it’s audio only or if it’d video. If you are working in the media industry, you might want to get one of the new HD webcams that skype now supports to make your Skype call record even more accurate and better to watch.
RSS