About

Visionaries in 1939 realized that they could use new technology to report the news with images and sound. That’s when NBC launched the first TV newscast and innovations in delivering the news began.

While fewer people make an appointment to watch TV news than they did in the last twenty years, TV continues to play a big role in American life. Journalists who work in TV news fulfill the First Amendment mission to keep the public informed and hold truth to power.

In 2017 50 percent of Americans got their news from local TV broadcasts, according to the Pew Research Center. Fortunately for those of us who want to use video to tell stories, the newscasts rely heavily on video storytelling and good journalists. In addition to local news, millions tune in to network news broadcasts, which for the most part also use video storytelling. And an increasing number of serious news organizations including The New York Times, Vice, VOX, Buzzfeed, Quartz and many others use various forms of video storytelling techniques to help keep the public informed and entertained.

All of these news outlets use reporters, videographers and producers who swoop onto the scene of a story, synthesize what’s going on and figure out what video they will need to tell the story. In breaking news situations, they have to get it right the first time.

Video reporting challenges them every day, and this class will challenge you.