UNLV Student Journalists Get Their MoJo On

By Natalie Hansen, Edward Hauth, and Pashtana Usufzy
www.east-paradise.com

Monday, April 18, 2011

With the climate of the journalism industry ever changing, mobile journalism is a new, innovative way to reach audiences that many in the industry never imagined possible.

Using an iPhone or iPod Touch, journalists can shoot video, record audio and edit a story all using one device. Gone are the days of drudging around a heavy camera and tripping over wires. In the new age of journalism, journalists can record a video, edit the clip and file the story all from their mobile gadgets.

This past week, three UNLV student journalists, in partnership with Vericorder Technology, participated in the Global Mojo Project in which they covered the 2011 NAB Show and the Broadcast Education Association convention entirely using their convenient mobile journalism devices.

Students utilized the OWLE bubo camera base to capture video on the conference exhibition floor.

“Here at VeriCorder, preserving the viability of journalism is a passion born from a quarter century of working in this great business,” said Vericorder President and CEO Gary Symons. “I hope this week marks the beginning of more positive change, as we all work to make true journalism viable in the face of great challenges in this rapidly evolving digital landscape.”

As part of the Global Mojo Project, the UNLV student journalists were given their own official channel to submit content to. Within an hour of training on Vericorder’s First Video Net application, they were on the convention floor shooting video and interviewing representatives from several of the convention exhibits.

The First Video Net application allows users to easily edit video using the touch of their fingers. Users of the application can edit an entire video from their mobile journalism accessory and upload the video to a streaming channel as well.

The 2011 NAB show drew a wide variety of companies and organizations, from IBM to Altera. The UNLV journalists were able to interview representatives of several companies who were debuting new products during the convention.

Roger Fawcett of Omnitek provided an overview of the company’s 3D television technology.

“The feedback has been very good,” Fawcett said. “There’s a lot of excitement in 3D.”

Electronics Research Inc. (ERI) was also on hand at the convention to present the company’s new antennas.

“Electronics Research is the largest provider of FM antennas in the United States,” said company representative Bob Harland.

The company’s newest antennas and transmission lines are made from aluminum instead of copper and are “25 percent cheaper,” according to Harland.

The students compiled this information into clips, ranging from general, half-minute features to in-depth technical pieces that lasted nearly three minutes.

As the clips made their way to the Web, the students began to experiment more with broadcast techniques and the features of the First Video Net application.

They also began to adapt to the mobile journalism environment, updating the site more rapidly with further developed content.

The advances gave the print journalism students an inside look at the world of broadcast mobile journalism. It also provided them with a glimpse at the convergence of media and the changing world into which they will soon enter.

As the journalism industry continues to evolve, mobile journalism will serve as a new outlet for the future wave of journalists.