The adoption of two technologies over the past few years has enabled vast numbers of ordinary citizens to report on events that they witness and to have their reports published where millions can find them.
The first key technology is that of mobile phones. Even simple mobile phones can be used to send voice or text messages to sites that collect news updates. With increasing number of phones with inbuilt cameras and with internet access, more and more users are able to send photos and videos of unfolding events directly to popular websites.
The second technology is the emergence of social networking sites such as Twitter, YouTube and Flickr which depend on user generated content (UGC) and encourage comments and sharing. They also promote the use of tagging, which defines the key words in stories, allowing the most popular topics to be highlighted and others to search for subjects of particular interest. Comments, sharing and tagging mean that the most popular reports spread like wildfire while the mass of reports become a huge searchable library.
How should professional broadcasters respond to this new world with growing numbers of citizen broadcasters and journalists? Are they a threat or do they represent an opportunity?
The AIB believes that they represent an opportunity but require broadcasters to adapt to the new reality of how stories are being broken and news reported.
For example, broadcasters can use the new technologies themselves to make sure that their own staff are equipped to report quickly. For example, companies such as AIB member ProSkope have software that allows reporters to use their mobile phones easily to submit material for reports, improving the flexibility and speed of reporting.
But broadcasters also need to monitor social networking sites to check for breaking stories and to connect with those who are reporting on the spot. Guy Degen was in Georgia when asked by Deutsche Welle to report on opposition demonstrations and he used Twitter to make contact with those who were actively “tweeting” about the unrest.
Professional broadcasters also have the authority and responsibility to put the news in context and validate the authenticity of citizen reports. This is where software like Ushahidi is valuable in mapping stories that come in and making it easier to cross-reference reports. Ushahidi has been used in the covering natural disasters such as the Haitian earthquake and also by Al Jazeera in their reporting on the War on Gaza.
We are only just seeing the start of the flowering of citizen broadcasting. But already the tools can help professional broadcasters, whose role of reporting with authority and providing context becomes increasingly important.
Please contact the AIB if you want to comment on this article or would like further information.
Sky Sports today announced that it has chosen Vizrt as the core graphics platform for its 3DTV channel, due to launch in April.
Darren Long, Sky Sports’ Director of Operations described his reasons for the decision, “We have worked with Vizrt for more than ten years. They have supported us with excellent graphics for our SD sports coverage, then later for HD and now they will do so again for 3D. Vizrt has always been a real-time 3D system and this meant it was easy for our designers to convert Sky Sports’ current HD designs to their stereo 3D equivalents. The results are stunning and the graphics drew special attention from viewers when we recently ran our world’s first stereo 3D football match trial. I am sure that Vizrt’s graphics will enhance our new 3D channel, just as they do for all our other channels.”
The stereoscopic Vizrt system uses a Viz Trio CG operator interface, controlling a Viz render engine PC. This powerful graphics engine uses two graphics cards and the separately rendered HD channels for each eye are synchronised by a new application developed for the process. The stereoscopic convergence point and depth are also adjustable on the fly to allow for changing camera views. The system can also be driven by GPI triggers from the vision-mixing desk.
Vizrt UK’s Managing Director, Rex Jenkins added, “Sky Sports demands the highest quality from its graphics systems and we are glad to meet their needs. This prestigious project attracted a lot of competition from all over the world so it is especially satisfying to find that Vizrt came out on top. We had a special advantage because Vizrt has always delivered graphics as true 3D animations, so adding stereoscopy to the rendering process was less of a challenge for us than it must have been for other systems. In that sense, Sky Sports backed the right horse ten years ago when it chose to use Vizrt for the first time.”
Farsi speakers have a new online destination to use to learn English. Voice of America (VOA) launches its Farsi-language version of goEnglish.me on Saturday, March 20th, as part of its celebration of Norwuz, the Persian New Year.
Users of the site (http://farsi.goenglish.me) will find 24 modules, presenting a variety of cultural situations in the United States. Each module has three lessonsbeginner, intermediate, and advanced. Practical topics include: “Greeting Friends,” “Retail Shopping,” and “Apartment Hunting.”
Students use a headset and microphone to converse with avatars in the goEnglish.me lessons. Each lesson has phrases and sentences along with short exams. As they progress from beginner to advanced, they hear more English and less of their own language.
“What makes goEnglish.me unique is that users get a glimpse into everyday American life, while learning things they might need if they were traveling or studying in the United States,” said Rebecca McMenamin, Director of New Media. “Our site is very interactive and users can download lessons and information for use later or to share with friends.”
goEnglish.me has been available to Mandarin speakers since November 2009 and plans are underway to add more languages.
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) yesterday announced measures that will prevent pay-TV operators in the country from entering into exclusive deals with content suppliers.
It is believed to be the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to introduce such regulations.
The MDA said it was making revisions to its Media Market Conduct Code which will allow rival TV broadcasters to carry exclusive content by other pay-TV retailers.
The new rules which will mean no more exclusive deals in Singapore take effect immediately, but exclusive contracts entered into before yesterday will not be affected until they expire.
The MDAs Director of Development Policy, Michael Yap, said: The (Code) provides an updated framework that aims to better serve our consumers, provide wider opportunities for our industry, and encourage innovation, leading to a more vibrant media sector.
Presently, almost all content in the (Singapore) pay-TV market is acquired on an exclusive basis.
Consumers will no longer require multiple set top boxes or have to switch pay TV retailers just to enjoy exclusive content.
The MDA said it believed that the changes to the Code would address potential anti-competitive behaviour arising from convergence and provide more opportunities for players to enter the market. (Source: ABU)
AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick delivered a paper looking at the rollout of digital TV globally at the Digital TV Russia conference in Moscow today (22 March).
The paper provided delegates with an overview of digital TV switchover progress in a number of key markets and looked at the opportunities that exist in social TV, the latest phenomenon being discussed by broadcasters and social networking sites.
