Mobile journalism is the leading source of news for adults in the US

Many more adults are relying on their smartphones in order to access news updates. Photo courtesy of Pew Internet and American Life Project

Mobile devices have become the leading source of news for adults in the US, new data has shown.

A report published by the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that 47 per cent of adults in the US use a smartphone or other mobile device in order to access their local and national news.

The figures also show an increase in the number of adults who are looking to their smartphones and mobiles for day-to-day weather updates, social media activity and local information about businesses and restaurants.

Top tweeting tips

For any budding mobile journalists out there, this list of tweeting tips from award-winning journalist Mary Hamilton is sure to provide you with some invaluable advice.

We picked a couple of tips that we feel are the most important for any journalist hoping to tweet the news to the waiting world.

Hashtags – if you are reporting from an event or an incident, check to see if it already has a hashtag on Twitter and, if it does, make sure to use it at the end of every tweet. Not only will this allow people to see what you are tweeting about, but it will also make your tweets much easier to find. If you are organising an event or are planning to tweet from an event, make sure that you make  your Twitter followers aware of what hashtag you are using. That way they can use it and join in with any conversation or debate.

Five of the best compact camcorders

One of the greatest strengths of any mobile journalists is the ability to capture an event as it is happening, right from the frontline of the action.

As the recent coverage of the Japanese tsunami has shown, a picture can often be worth a thousand words and a video can often be worth a thousand photographs. The videos taken of the tsunami were unlike anything ever seen – they provided a form of journalistic coverage that had never before been achieved.

A quality compact camcorder is a vital part of your mojo kit bag and we have compiled a list of some of our favourites;

#march26

Mojos used Twitter to report on the March 26 protests

Saturday 26 March saw a fresh wave of protests through the UK as swarms of people hit the county’s cities in order to fight against the cuts. The event once again provided mobile journalists with the opportunity to report from the ‘front line’, using the #march26 hash tag on Twitter in order to keep followers up to date with the latest developments as the protesters swarmed through the capital.

Anyone following #march26 was able to see exactly where the protesters were, what they were doing and what action was being taken against them by the authorities. Not only does this sort of mobile journalism provide the outside world with a unique insight into the protests, without actually having to be there, it enables a number of journalists to voice their opinions on the events of the day, something which is not usually possible when writing an article for a publication.

Reporting through Twitter sees a new generation of would-be mobile journalists commenting and reporting on breaking news events and, in this particular case, it was the siege on high-end department store Fortnum & Mason that drew the most attention.

As protesters forced their way into the famous Fortnums, both journalists and participants tweeted to the outside world, while following the tweets of those caught up in the violence taking place beyond the gilded walls of the UK Uncut Fortnums protest.

Protesters and passersby posted photos online, showing the utter chaos that many of the protests had descended into. News that the Oxford Circus Topshop was being vandalised by a particularly furious group of protesters sparked debate on Twitter between those who felt such extreme action was necessary and those who believed that the violence overshadowed the real issue behind the protests.

Mobile broadcast journalism

Luci Live enables you to transform your smartphone into a recording studio. Photo courtesy of http://www.filecluster.com

Meet Luci Live, the software that allows you to turn your Mac, Windows PC/Phone or iPhone into a device for broadcasting audio.

The software, available online or through the iPhone App Store for £239.99, enables you to make high quality audio recordings, edit, add images and then upload them to the internet or a studio.

The Luci Live program represents a great advance in mobile journalism, enabling mojos everywhere to broadcast audio feeds from anywhere in the world (anywhere, that it, with a 3G or WiFi connection). The creators of this exciting new software promises to deliver ‘professional and streamlined approach to your reportage, bringing with it the highest levels of quality, user-friendliness and reliability’.

Twestival 2011

Photo courtesy of Twestival 2011

On Thursday 24 March, local Twestivals (Twitter Festivals) will be held in numerous cities across the globe. From small meetings in pubs and restaurants to large scale sposnored events, the local Twestivals provide mobile journalists and social media lovers with a chance to come together and interact offline, while raising money for charity.

The events, which are run entirely by volunteers, are aimed at bringing together social media gurus at an offline event that focuses on grassroots funding for a particular cause. Since 2009, Twestival has raised nearly $1.2million for over 130 different causes, demonstrating clearly the power of internet-based media.

While Twestival, which originated in London in 2009, is primarily a social media event,  it will provide mobile journalists with an opportunity to connect with other like-minded people, learn more about social media and its uses in journalism and make incredibly valuable journalistic contacts.

For more information about this year’s Twestival and for details about how to purchase tickets go to www.twestival.com

Japanese tsunami

Photos of the tsunami have shocked the world. Photo courtesy of http://www.thebiblicalworld.blogspot.com

Over the last few days, the press has been flooded with information, news stories, pictures and videos all demonstrating the devastation that occurred as a result of the tsunami in Japan.

The media coverage of the natural disaster has given shocked viewers throughout the world a clear, up-to-date view of the events as they have unfolded, the stark reality of the devastation made all the more evident in numerous photos and videos captured by journalists and locals alike.

Not only have journalists been able to provide incredible coverage of the tsunami and its continuing after effects, but the videos provided by amateur cameramen, tourists, locals and mobile journalists have given a terrifying insight into the horror experienced at the exact moment that the tsunami hit the coast.

China offers new mobile technology for London 2012

Chinese telecom firm Huawei has offered to install a mobile network on the London Underground

A Chinese telecom firm has offered to pay £50 million in order to install a mobile network on the London Underground in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.

While many see this as a natural progression in technology (underground mobile networks have already been installed in cities like Hong Kong and Paris), there are some who feel it an unnecessary luxury that will do nothing other than to provide people with the ability to gab about the intimate details of their personal lives while in a confined public space.

Whether or not you support the introduction of an underground mobile network, one thing is for sure – the ability to use our mobile phones while on the underground is sure to change the face of mobile technology in this country permanently.

What does a mobile journalist need?

While there is a huge variety of technology available  to any budding mojo, the cost of ensuring that you have every piece of equipment out there is unbelievably high. We have therefore compiled a list of ‘must-haves’ for any mobile journalist looking to report up-to-date news from a variety of locations.

Hardware

• A smartphone with a camera/the capability to record video/a contract that allows you to send unlimited texts, make many phonecalls and with an unlimited data package
• A small digital camcorder e.g. a Flip or Kodak Zx5
• A digital dictaphone
• Digital camera – while this may not always be entirely necessary, particularly if you have a high quality camera on your phone, they often take much better photos
• Spoffle – a foam cover that can be placed over any microphone to reduce the amount of ‘crackling’ on the recording. These are available for smartphones that have voice recorders e.g. the iPhone
• Spare batteries
• A small portable tripod for your camera e.g. a GorillaPod
• The ever trusty notebook and pen – always remember a spare pen
• Small laptop or netbook with a dongle

Software

• Apps for your smartphone/laptop that allow you to keep in constant contact through email, a blog, Twitter or other social media
• TweetDeck
• HootSuite
• iBlogger
• WordPress for iPhone
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google Maps
• Skype
• A back-up email account – occasionally Google Mail or Hotmail will stop working and you should have a back-up ready
• YouTube account

Each mojo will have their own preferences about what to take out with them while reporting. It is always wise to ensure that you have a list of contact phone numbers should you need to get in touch with your editor/colleague and I would personally always recommend taking out some form of food and drink – you never know where you may end up and for how long.

For more ideas on equipment for the mojo see;

Online Journalism Blog

Notes from the Field

No quiet riot as mobiles help showcase protest to the world

Yesterday’s student demonstration in London made clear precisely how pivotal mobile technology now is for modern journalism.

In days gone by we would have heard real-time information about the protest and the ensuing rioting via the radio. Whatever the presenter told us was exactly what we would have believed. For a visual handle you’d have to wait until the evening news, whereby you’d see some footage and hear a reporter explaining the event based either on what they had witnessed, or the sources they chose to speak to. Essentially the coverage of an event involving hoards of people over a vast space would have been conveyed via very limited pairs of eyes and ears.

Images were uploaded onto Flickr by mobile journalists such as Sarah Noorbakhsh

Nowadays this form of reporting has taken a kick to the teeth. We, as the absorbing public, demand speed, efficiency, accuracy and engagement as prerequisites. Yesterday we were able to watch a new breed of reporting in perfect motion, as eyewitnesses posted minute-by-minute information on Twitter, and photographers uploaded via Flickr. Sky News’ Kay Burley, who made several slapdash reporting bloopers, could have learned a thing or two from the would-be journalists on the streets.