To get you into the mindset of what we are dealing with here; factory workers rolling cigars to meet quota
Broadcast news, like its relatives, is a creature of proven instinct. It's ability to locate and track stories comes from generations of evolution. Its senses honed by a hungery desire to gather and filet news into tender pieces the audience can enjoy. Now we have a new jungle to drop this beast into -- the Internet.
What does instinct tell the beast to do?
TV Web sites seem stuck on merely repeating the content that is readily available. That is, digitizing a news segment and allowing the Web viewer to "re-see" the news cast. It isn't fundamentally different than the newpapers' initial response to Web space, but broadcast news seems to be on the slower side of evolution.
Broadcast should respond to this new format in its own way. First, a preview of exactly what not-to-do.
One of the worst examples I could find was WDAF-TV or Fox 4 News. Nevermind the fact this Web page isn't really browser friendly, let's just notice how useless this site is for the moment.
I'm not sure if this changes from day to day or not, but this site seems to indicate an importance on weather and other programming. The pictures to other programs aren't clickable and lack function for the viewer. The 'News' link takes you to a very sad table of times to watch news and a link to the national Fox News Web site. Woo.
For better examples, I think we have a lovely local example with Channel 6 Lawrence. It's not, and pardon the pun, "flashy," but it gets information across and it isn't stuck on repeating broadcasts. At the time I looked, there were transcripts of interviews available and extra information that probably didn't fit in a broadcast succintly. But are left-overs, or "side-dishes," all we have to throw on a page?
The problem remains in the instincts of the news station. The gatherer still gathers just as they did before, so the routine doesn't change until we get back to the station and a Web editor of some sort decides to spice-up the story. The change has to occur in the field, not just at the station.
NPR probably has some of the most forward progress with this dimension of journalism. This is radio realizing it can use pictures. The irony that radio could figure out how to use pictures and sound better than broadcast is just fine with me. Let's look at a nice specific example such as the Mt. Saint Helens story.
The Helens story has most of my favorite ways to use the Web in news. There is a seperate news story that obviously isn't script and links to pictures and video seem to lay down on the screen in a nice clean list fashion. Not "flashy," just clean. As a newsperson, I really appreciate NPR's links to previous and related stories. It means that if I'm just now tracking the story, I don't have to go through the stress of "learning" NPR's search bar. It's just all right there. Please note the "Volcano Cam" under Web resources in the upper right-hand corner. That's just shivy.
The lesson in all of this is one of several things.
- Don't repeat! If you don't do it, you don't have these issues.
- It doesn't take magical coding to make a news site purposeful.
- The real change is out in the field, not at the station. It doesn't take a lot, it's just saving what you might otherwise throw away. Well, maybe take a few digital pictures instead of depending on the video, but that's a cameraperson's job.
- A person designated as a Web editor is probably essential
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