ABSTRACT
Until a few ago journalists inside any television newsroomwould work with videotape and get tense awaiting the return of the latest sound and pictures. It would come by a satellite feed or link, from a breathless producer or reporter running down a corridor, someone on a motorbike, or in the hands of a field producer. The newsroom systems now in placemean the journalist works in a seamless digital production. He or she, as a career begins, is as ambitious and yet as frail as the people who made television news on the day a man first stepped upon the Moon, which was an ambitious live TV event more than 40 years ago using the finest technology of its time. Now your phone has more memory than was needed for that mission. The television journalist faces requests with words like: ingest (consume or absorb something); multi-platform/multi-media (all of the ways of getting it or sending it); digital workflow (how your TV newsroom timetable or method is affected) and media-meshing (blogs, websites or other things included in a TV report). Finding accurate and relevant information has always been central to meeting editorial standards. Properly labelled material and sources have also now become essential to maintain speed and accuracy in a very competitive environment. Like radio, there is cross-media automation while aiming to retain standards of
traditional basic journalism.A reminder that is a book about journalism, rather than digital engineering. But they have always gone together. Technology has always linked to the principles of television journalism. Then there’s the public – not just as audience. All over the world individuals are
playing an increasing role in creating television news rather than just consuming it. Almost anyone has the technical means to publish material widely and almost instantly. This even encouraged some TV stations in America to get most of their news
coverage from viewers.
