Mobile journalism

Last updated

Mobile journalism is a form of multimedia newsgathering and storytelling that enables journalists to document, edit and share news using small, network connected devices like smartphones. [1]

Contents

Mobile journalists report in video, audio, photography, and graphics using apps on their portable devices.

Such reporters, sometimes known as mojos (for mobile journalist), are staff or freelance journalists who may use digital cameras and camcorders, laptop PCs, smartphones or tablet devices. A broadband wireless connection, satellite phone, or cellular network is then used to transmit the story and imagery for publication. [2] [3] The term mojo has been in use since 2005, originating at the Fort Myers News-Press and then gaining popularity throughout the Gannett newspaper chain in the United States. [4]

Some key benefits of mobile journalism in comparison to conventional methods include affordability, portability, discretion, approachability, and the ease of access for beginners. [5]

History

The first instance of mobile journalism recorded is from wearable technology pioneer Steve Mann using a wearable camera he made on Feb. 2, 1995. Eastcampusfire glog crop.png
The first instance of mobile journalism recorded is from wearable technology pioneer Steve Mann using a wearable camera he made on Feb. 2, 1995.

One of the first instance of mobile journalism recorded is from wearable technology pioneer Steve Mann as a feature in a personal visual assistant that he designed, he identified himself as a roving reporter. [6]

In the beginning, he faced concerns from the press about privacy. He responded by writing on The Tech of MIT on July 24, 1996 a guest column "Wearcam Helps Address Privacy Issue". In the column, he stated that he was wearing his experimental eye glass to bring awareness to the huge and growing number of surveillance cameras that were watching over citizen's activities. He also stated in the article that he "exercises deference to others, " many of the photos he took were "architecture details, experiments in light and shade, posed shots done at the request of those in the picture". [7]

Every year, hundreds of mobile journalists attend mobile journalism conferences. One of these is MojoFest, which has been organized in association with RTE, the national public services broadcaster of Ireland.

Editors at AJ+, a digital outlet form Al Jazeera, use mobile journalists in their video news coverage. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wearable computer</span> Small computing devices worn with clothing

A wearable computer, also known as a body-borne computer, is a computing device worn on the body. The definition of 'wearable computer' may be narrow or broad, extending to smartphones or even ordinary wristwatches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Mann (inventor)</span> Professor and wearable computing researcher

William Stephen George Mann is a Canadian engineer, professor, and inventor who works in augmented reality, computational photography, particularly wearable computing, and high-dynamic-range imaging. Mann is sometimes labeled the "Father of Wearable Computing" for early inventions and continuing contributions to the field. He cofounded InteraXon, makers of the Muse brain-sensing headband, and is also a founding member of the IEEE Council on Extended Intelligence (CXI). Mann is currently CTO and cofounder at Blueberry X Technologies and Chairman of MannLab. Mann was born in Canada, and currently lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife and two children. In 2023, Mann unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smartphone</span> Handheld mobile device

A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone functions and personal computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from older-design feature phones by their more advanced hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which facilitate wider software, access to the internet, and multimedia functionality, alongside core phone functions such as voice calls and text messaging. Smartphones typically contain a number of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) chips, include various sensors that can be leveraged by pre-installed and third-party software, and support wireless communication protocols. More recently, smartphone manufacturers have begun to integrate satellite messaging connectivity and satellite emergency services into devices for use in remote regions where there is no reliable cellular network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile computing</span> Human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage

Mobile computing is human–computer interaction in which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage and allow for transmission of data, which can include voice and video transmissions. Mobile computing involves mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software. Communication issues include ad hoc networks and infrastructure networks as well as communication properties, protocols, data formats, and concrete technologies. Hardware includes mobile devices or device components. Mobile software deals with the characteristics and requirements of mobile applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camera phone</span> Mobile phone which is able to capture still photographs and usually also videos

A camera phone is a mobile phone which is able to capture photographs and often record video using one or more built-in digital cameras. It can also send the resulting image wirelessly and conveniently. The first commercial phone with color camera was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210, released in Japan in May 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic news gathering</span> Technique of delivering the news on television

Electronic news gathering (ENG) or electronic journalism (EJ) is usage of electronic video and audio technologies by reporters to gather and present news instead of using film cameras. The term was coined during the rise of videotape technology in the 1970s. ENG can involve anything from a single reporter with a single professional video camera, to an entire television crew taking a truck on location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia N91</span> Slider smartphone with a dedicated MP3 buttons

The Nokia N91 is a smartphone produced by Nokia as part of their Nseries line of portable devices. It was announced on April 27, 2005 along with N70 and N90 as the first three Nseries devices. The N91 ran on Symbian-based S60 3rd Edition. It was the first ever phone encompassing a 4 GB internal hard drive, allowing storage for 3,000 songs. The N91 is highly focused on music,. with dedicated music keys on the front which slide down to reveal the keypad. It also featured the industry-standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, and was anticipated as a major challenger to Apple, whose iPod dominated the industry. The design of the N91 is based on stainless steel with a matte finish.

Mobile television is television watched on a small handheld or mobile device, typically developed for that purpose. It includes service delivered via mobile phone networks, received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations, or via satellite broadcast. Regular broadcast standards or special mobile TV transmission formats can be used. Additional features include downloading TV programs and podcasts from the Internet and storing programming for later viewing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile news</span>

Mobile news refers to both the delivery and creation of news using mobile devices.

Mobile blogging is a method of publishing to a website or blog from a mobile phone or other handheld device. A moblog helps habitual bloggers to post write-ups directly from their phones even when on the move. Mobile blogging has been made possible by technological convergence, as bloggers have been able to write, record and upload different media all from a single, mobile device. At the height of its growth in 2006, mobile blogging experienced 70,000 blog creations a day and 29,100 blog posts an hour. Between 2006 and 2010, blogging among teens declined from 28% to 14%, while blogging among adults over 30 increased from 7% to 11%. However, the growing number of multi-platform blogging apps has increased mobile blogging popularity in recent years creating a brand new market that many celebrities, regular bloggers and specialists are utilizing to widen their social reach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robb Montgomery</span>

Robb Montgomery is a mobile, journalism trainer based in Berlin. He produces prize-winning documentary films with small cameras and is the author of textbooks and certificate courses in mobile journalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile technology</span> Technology used for cellular communication

Mobile technology is the technology used for cellular communication. Mobile technology has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Since the start of this millennium, a standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two-way pager to being a mobile phone, GPS navigation device, an embedded web browser and instant messaging client, and a handheld gaming console. Many experts believe that the future of computer technology rests in mobile computing with wireless networking. Mobile computing by way of tablet computers is becoming more popular. Tablets are available on the 3G and 4G networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia Nseries</span> Discontinued series of high-end phones by Nokia

The Nokia Nseries was a high-end lineup of feature phones, smartphones, and tablets marketed by Nokia Corporation from 2005 to 2011. The Nseries devices commonly supported multiple high-speed wireless technologies at the time, such as 3G, or Wireless LAN. Digital multimedia services, such as music playback, photo/video capture or viewing, gaming or internet services were the central focus of the lineup. The lineup was replaced in 2011 by the Nokia Lumia line as the company's primary smartphone lineup.

Nokia's strategic nomenclature can be traced back in 2005 when the Nseries line was launched, offering devices with flagship specifications and premium hardware at various price points. These devices were considered the "bread and butter" of the company and were often positioned to showcase their latest technologies. Thanks to the newfound consumer and enterprise interest in smartphones at the time, the company introduced four additional collections to diversify their product portfolio and meet demands in most market segments. These new phone series were named Eseries, targeting small business and enterprise customers; Xseries, providing consumer-grade multimedia-focused devices; Cseries, which Nokia used to target both the low-end and mid-range market segments; and Tseries, for devices exclusive to the Chinese market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Galaxy Note (2011 smartphone)</span> Android smartphone by Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy Note is an Android smartphone produced by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled at IFA Berlin 2011, it was first released in Germany in late October 2011, with other countries following afterwards. The Galaxy Note was distinguished by its unusually large form factor—later referred to using the term "phablet"—which straddled the size of the average smartphone at the time, and that of a small tablet: it features a 5.3-inch display, and is bundled with a stylus branded as the "S Pen", which can be used to navigate the device's user interface, and write or draw in supported apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allissa Richardson</span> American journalist and college professor

Allissa V. Richardson is an American journalist and college professor. She is best known as a proponent of mobile journalism and citizen journalism. Richardson has trained students in the United States and Africa to report news using only smartphones, tablets and MP3 players. She is assistant professor of journalism in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Additionally, Richardson is a Nieman Foundation Visiting Journalism Fellow at Harvard University, the 2012 Educator of the Year for the National Association of Black Journalists, and a two-time Apple Distinguished Educator.

/e/ is a fork of LineageOS, an Android-based mobile operating system, and associated online services. /e/ is presented as privacy software that does not contain proprietary Google apps or services, and challenges the public to "find any parts of the system or default applications that are still leaking data to Google."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Galaxy A90 5G</span> 2019 phablet by Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy A90 5G is an Android phablet manufactured by Samsung Electronics as part of its fifth-generation Galaxy A series lineup. It comes with Android 9 (Pie) with Samsung's One UI skin, 6/8GB RAM, 128 GB of internal storage, and a 4500 mAh battery. It is Samsung's first mid-range smartphone to support 5G network connectivity. The Galaxy A90 5G was first unveiled in South Korea on September 3, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librem 5</span> Linux based 2020 Smartphone

The Librem 5 is a smartphone manufactured by Purism that is part of their Librem line of products. The phone is designed with the goal of using free software whenever possible, includes PureOS, a Linux operating system, by default, and as of 2021 is the only smartphone recommended by the Free Software Foundation. Like other Librem products, the Librem 5 focuses on privacy and freedom, and includes features like hardware kill switches, and easily-replaceable components. Its name, with a numerical "5", refers to its screen size, and not a release version. After an announcement on 24 August 2017, the distribution of developer kits and limited pre-release models occurred throughout 2019 and most of 2020. The first mass-production version of the Librem 5 was shipped on 18 November 2020.

The Umidigi A9, A9 Pro, and A9 Max are Android smartphones sold by Umidigi. Unveiled in December 2020, they are a family of entry-level smartphones.

References

  1. Kunova, Marcela. "Mobile Journalism". Textbook review. Journalism Co UK. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  2. Marymont, Kate (2 October 2007). "MoJo a Go-Go". Quill: 18–21. ISSN   0033-6475.
  3. Marymont, Kate (10 February 2006). "How They Did It: Fort Myers' "mojo" journalists search out news at the neighborhood level, identify community contributors". Gannett News Watch. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  4. Martyn, Peter H (1 April 2009). "The Mojo in the Third Millennium: Is multimedia journalism affecting the news we see?". Journalism Practice. 3 (2): 196–215. doi:10.1080/17512780802681264.
  5. Podger, Corinne. "Benefits of going 'mojo'". Mobile Journalism Manual: The Guide for Reporters and Newsrooms.
  6. "Joi Ito's Moblogging, Blogmapping and Moblogmapping related resources as of 1/18/2003 18:00". wearcam.org. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  7. "Wearcam Helps Address Privacy Issue - The Tech". tech.mit.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  8. "How AJ+ reported from Baltimore using only mobile phones". Poynter. Retrieved 2018-09-03.