Nokia Project

The students of Journalism 694 started video blogging last week. Some opted to use standard digital video cameras. Others (see Courtney Farr's experience)tried, unsuccessfully, to use the N73 for their video needs. Nathan Rodriguez represents the third group, those who dove in, head first, and managed to come up with some amusing content captured and edited solely in the Nokia N73.

I’d been thinking of what I could possibly do for a “free swim vlog” and decided to sleep on it. As I was drifting off, a line from The Simpsons came to mind: “I’ve always admired your tart honesty and ability to be personally insulted by broad social trends.” In this case, Principal Skinner was speaking with Edna Krabapple, but the person that immediately came to my mind was Andy Rooney.

What would Andy Rooney think about video blogging?

I have zero experience in acting, but figured that I had better get in the right mindset before filming: crotchety and confused. No better time to try this than first thing in the morning before having a chance to shower or fully wake up. I smear Pomade through my hair before parting it, button up a dress shirt and jacket—normally any one of these things is plenty to put me in a foul mood—and hit record. Oh yeah, I’m also battling a head cold. I’d practiced my Rooney impression for a good five minutes over the last couple days, and generally come off sounding like some bizarre amalgam of Gilbert Gottfried, Dennis Miller and Beavis.

My dogs seemed fairly certain that I had completely lost my mind, and kept their distance. So…you have been warned. Hit “play” and there will be nothing you can do to get those 90 seconds of your life back. Enjoy, and for God’s sake, please don’t let anyone outside of this class see this. Ever. Seriously. Thanks.

I threw out my journalistic instincts and know-how and became a citizen journalist for a day. I lugged around a camera phone and tried to find and capture a newsworthy event. But, I found, those knuckleheads, who occasionally make the five o’clock news for being at the right place at the right time with their camera phones, are simply lucky — not reporters.

The Assignment: Be a citizen journalist. Carry around a camera phone, go about your daily business and see what you find.

The Outcome: Outdated, "Blair Witch Project"- like video of the wreckage at Kennedy’s Bar and Grill (Waldo, KCMO) and an unprofessional interview from a police officer. The cop said the fire roared for 10 hours on February 16. Asbestos was found at Kennedy’s, which will prolong reconstruction, and 75th Street Brewery will take three to four weeks to rebuild, due to all the smoke damage.

My Feelings: Many things struck me about my experience as a citizen journalist. First, the officer I spoke with was helpful and willing to answer my questions. He wasn’t hesitant or intimidated. If I showed up with a tripod and a big camera, he may have been less inclined to speak with me. Citizen journalists may appear less harmful to officials and experts than reporters and journalists; therefore, it could be easier to find story ideas.

While at Kennedy’s, I found myself asking the officer questions while video taping the wreckage. Though the camera wasn’t focused on him, I was hoping he would reveal something new and newsworthy about the fire and I would catch it on tape. I have taken an ethics in journalism class — citizen journalists have not. They may use unethical tactics to get interviews and stories.

Back at my car after taping, it struck me how unprepared I felt to create a story. I had video but no written notes. I made a visual story but not a factual one. I couldn’t remember anything the police officer said. Citizen journalists can provide news stations with video but not actual stories. Professional journalists still have to go out and research, interview and develop a story worth broadcasting.

It was also difficult coming up with a story and getting my video on the computer. In conclusion, I found tales told from a camera phone are tall and incomplete.

Driving is expensive. Gas costs lots and tune-ups are rip-offs. Parking downtown is often impossible and sitting in traffic sucks. This is besides the obvious environmental problems driving exacerbates, or our country's little oil addiction, which (arguably) is a healthy kick to our "keep the Middle East in turmoil so we can take advantage of its resources" reflex. The only real reason to drive anywhere in Lawrence (at least in the areas students frequent -- campus, downtown, student ghetto, East Lawrence) is that it will get you there faster than walking or riding a bike. Or is it faster? Nate Martin reports.

When we think of ‘citizen journalists’ we think of the shocking video out of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, or the cell phone video from Saddam Hussein’s execution. We do not think of someone shooting video of pot holes on local streets (See above video!). The brilliance of ‘citizen journalism’ is that it catches the unexpected. The downfall of it is that it isn’t sufficient for reliable coverage.

Television stations can not be everywhere at a moments notice, which is what makes ‘citizen journalism’ so valuable in some situations. One thing I have learned in the news business is to “expect the unexpected.” The problem is that we can not always be at the unexpected by simply snapping our fingers. “Citizen journalists’ can be anywhere at a given moment, like at a local fire last year, which provides us with astonishing pictures that would otherwise never be seen.

Although ‘citizen journalists’ can sometimes bring us the most compelling footage, it is always associated with a compelling or historic story. When it comes to telling the story of sub-par streets in Lawrence, people will not accept the above footage on the news. ‘Citizen Journalism’ is only as good as the phenomenon that it covers.

After my news shift this Friday I met with Patrick who set me up with a sweet $500 Nokia N73 to film my citizen journalism assignment. I asked for little instruction with the device and encountered my first bit of trouble when I couldn't even figure out how to turn it on. (A quick phone call remedied that situation.) After I finally got the thing turned on, I experimented with it by filming my dog, fish, and roommates. Having a firm grasp on the capabilities of this gadget I proceeded to carry it with me the entire weekend waiting for inspiration to strike.

Inspiration didn't strike until Sunday when I realized I needed to record SOMETHING in order to get the project done. Then I remembered something in Lawrence that really irked me. Traffic signals. More specifically the traffic signals at the intersections of 9th and Vermont St. and 8th and Vermont St. The two are never synchronized, and the first driver in line can never make the green light at 8th St. when heading north and going the 20mph speed limit.

I had the idea to highlight this problem for my first vlog, but quickly realized the large GL camera were not designed to be operated while driving. But the Nokia N73 on the other hand...

The camera phone worked out exactly how I had hoped. It was easy for me to operate while driving, and was portable enough for me to do everything "on the spot" without the need of a tripod or microphone. You can judge the quality of the film yourself.

The only problem I have with the phone was the difficulty of downloading the media. The video files are saved at a tiny aspect ratio, and when I imported them into FInal Cut I couldn't increase the size. I ended up having to use iMovie, a program I had touched before.

It is possible that these phones will have a place in the future of journalism. I think I have proved they can be used by real people to bring light to a problem, no matter how small, that effects citizens. The only downside is the compatibility of the phone with current technology, something I'm sure will give newsroom directors many headaches.

I am a college student, which means I am broke. I buy the cheapest items, and when I can get something free, I do.

So, when I went to get a new phone, I naturally wanted the cheapest one. As of right now cheap cell phones don’t equal video camera capabilities. Shucks. How am I going to become a talented citizen journalist without one, though?

Wait, people aren’t thinking about citizen journalism when they purchase their cell phones. They are thinking about how cool it will be to get incriminating video of their drunken friends. In non-college student cases, they might be excited about video of their kids or grandkids.

Why aren’t they thinking about citizen journalism? Because news doesn’t gather itself up and drop at your feet.

I can walk around all week looking for news and end up with the same video shown here.

If I am lucky, I can catch one of the million false fire alarms on campus to report – like anyone cares to watch several of those on a daily basis.

Citizen journalism takes place during emergencies, natural or otherwise, that affect mass amount of people. Citizen journalists add to the rich, personal view point of mass media news.

But, last time I checked, massive disasters don’t happen on a regular daily basis, at least not in Lawrence, Kan.

When a microburst hit the town in the spring of 2006, The Lawrence Journal-World posted citizen journalists' photos online. People wanted to see the extent of the destruction. The amount of photos by a variety of people rolled in to display just how extensive the damage was around town.

Citizen journalism helped enrich the coverage, but it didn't replace it. Citizen journalism alone wouldn't have done justice.

Good citizen journalism equals large scale destruction. Not the day to day life.

After all, I tried finding news on a simple day-to-day time frame.

Until Armageddon hits, citizen journalists can stick to helping erich coverage of large scale disasters.

Be sure to check out a smattering of coverage by Nick Nelson, master of technical difficulties, shot with the Nokia N73.