OPINION
Embedded journalism stokes Information Revolution
27-03-2003
by Bernie Goldbach
Journalists' ability to record information and file stories faster than ever before marks a major societal shift in information processing.
Major advances in compact communications technology have pulled journalism into a domain where technical awareness becomes as important as writing style. During every major Gulf War news program, viewers experience an "edgy" reporting style in place of a completely refined presentation. This is proof positive that the fanciest technology comes available to mainstream users within a few years of its introduction.
Many network correspondents following the troops in the Iraqi desert now drag along their compact satellite dishes. They weigh less than seven stone. The smallest ones simply plug into the back of a laptop, like the B-Gan, available from Deltawave Communications for less than EUR 1600. Just connect the B-Gan to a computer's USB port and it establishes a 144k link with satellites overhead.
During the 1983 American invasion of Grenada, the smallest live television crew that flew into a combat zone numbered three people. That's because the uplink equipment filled five flight cases and weighed more than 50 stone. Plus, it took five hours to set up and correspondents stayed at least a half-mile away from the front lines. Mobile phones back then had whip antennas, weighed as much as a four-pack of beer, and needed frequent charging if used regularly. Technology has changed dramatically since then.
Now presenters use videophones or they film themselves with handheld digital video cameras on tripods. Then they quickly edit, compress and upload their reports to their home networks, and video camera, spare batteries, sound equipment, cables, antenna and laptop all fit into one bag weighing less than 15 kilograms. Getting content is as simple as unzip, point, shoot, review, edit and upload.
Regular viewers of Sky News will notice that all two-way reports happen outside. Rooftop locations or rooms with balconies are prime spots for television journalists. That's because they must be next to a window or outside to get a connection with a satellite phone or videophone.
And with high-speed Internet access always overhead, journalists can connect to their news desks as long as they have power. If they have brought a hand-cranked charger available from Motorola, they will never be out of touch.
Newshounds point out that smaller gadgets and bigger bandwidth have broadened their reach. This has already affected the way people perceive the current war. Knowing that you're watching a "live" television report forces you to confront images of war without any kind of press officer spin. Digital delivery of news reports provides a more intimate and multifaceted view of modern warfare than the military ever imagined.
"Technology has advanced to the point where the only limitation is in the imagination of the correspondent," said Frank Governale, the vice president for operations at CBS News. "Given access by the military and willpower of the people, we can pretty much go live from wherever we want. It's a scary thought."
Especially for the military. Even though some of the footage is jumpy and full of grainy images, it provides viewers with a sense of looking out their own windscreens at the action. Dick Tauber, vice president for satellites and circuits at CNN, refers to it as "edgy."
"It doesn't look great, but we'd rather have them be able to be live and be mobile," said Tauber.
That expectation can drive a journalist into harm's way. In the late 1980s, when the Berlin Wall was crumbling, a significant portion of the press pack remained within arm's reach of a telex or fax machine. Both of those devices sat in business support centres near official government press agencies. Reporters asked their questions of the officials, wrote their notes and filed their stories.
In the decade that followed, the telex gave way to telephone dictation, then to fax. When laptops got to be dependable, reporters filed stories as e-mail messages or by using satellite phones.
Now that satellite phones have dropped below EUR1000 in some places, more journalists can file their stories without ever leaving the troops. This time, journalists are "embedded" reporters who travel with the troops, and this has resulted in truly descriptive vignettes about life at the front lines.
"Embedded" teams of journalists may carry only those things that fit onto their backs. So some reporters now sling a compact kit over their shoulders and they can single-handedly capture, edit, compress and send video with a small digital camera, a laptop computer and a satellite phone. This capability converts a reporter into an editor and a producer, bringing with it the painful judgment calls about what to include in a story.
"It normally takes around an hour to compress each minute of television footage," said Tim Kirby from Xi Creative in Santry, County Dublin. "This immediacy provides a quantum for real-time information-rich journalism."
This shift in information processing is as pronounced as that which accompanied the rise of the Internet Age. Chris Gulker, Silicon Valley correspondent for the London Independent, points to the world's first information network: the postal service.
"It began to operate in the 16th century. For the first time in history, educated people with interesting ideas could communicate reliably and affordably, allowing them to refine and build upon the work of others. It was no accident that the Industrial Revolution followed hard on the heels of this network's rise."
"If the Industrial Revolution was any indication, the Information Revolution will likely create change on a scale unprecedented in history," said Gulker.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 