Have you ever wondered how some news reporters are so quick to get the latest news out to their viewers? Or have you ever seen a journalist reporting to a smartphone on a tripod?  If so, you might’ve been witnessing someone using Mobile Journalism instead of the traditional big newsroom. The great thing about Mobile Journalism is that the only truly necessary tool you need is the smartphone itself. If you have a device that can record video/audio and allow you to edit the video you are taking, you can create and publish video at the speed of light.

This new revolution is very useful in society today as it is cheaper, gives you the freedom to record anything at anytime, and be able to report on the go. This is very handy for someone like me who, especially this semester, is always on the go. For example, if I was away for the weekend I would be able to use my phone to create and edit a video of the things I’m doing, food I’m eating, and my favorite places to see and be able to publish it swiftly. However, with all these positives of mobile journalism comes a few negatives. Often times while recording if you don’t have the right equipment the stability of the camera, the lighting of what you’re recording, and the audio can all be affected. This is not the end of the world as if you know this ahead of time you can adjust certain things to make sure it will  turn out well.

These are pro’s and con’s I noticed when I made my own Mobile Journalism video during class. The assignment was to go outside for thirty minutes and create a video with some sort of theme. I decided to make a video recording the walk to class and the different steps it takes to get to a CEA classroom. At first I was confused how I would be able to edit all the videos together on my phone, but with the app Quik I was easily able to make an edited and smoothly put together video. The sound of the crowds were covered by music, and the clips were pretty fast and short so the concerns about  stability and lighting diminished.

Overall, this assignment made me realize how useful Mobile Journalism is. Not only does it save you time and money, but it permits you to be the first one to publish the latest news. If an amateur like me is able to put together and report my own short video, it just goes on to show how all of us as a society can become a journalist.