Media mash-up
The editors sent me to the Federal Courthouse in Anchorage to shoot video of former Wasilla representative Vic Kohring’s post-sentencing press conference. Media scrums are pretty rare in Alaska, there just aren’t that many outlets, but Thursday’s scene was as wild as any I’ve participated in (I take that back — the Linehan sentencing was crazier, but since it was in a courtroom it more contained).
“…The reporters initially flocked around Kohring…” said the Progressive Alaska blog. The media was three and four deep around Kohring but the MSM was nearly outnumbered by bloggers. In addition to Progressive Alaska, the Alaska Report commented on the proceedings, as did whatdoino-steve, and there should be a pro-Vic view posted to USAvsVicKohring at some point (plus I might be missing a few).
Everyone was shoving a mic in Kohring’s face, radio and TV for broadcast, multimedia types (including me) for the web, and print reporters for their notes. Two newspapers were shooting video, the Daily News and the Frontiersman. We were a mob, but I thought a well-mannered one for the most part.
Let’s not wring our hands over the decline of traditional journalism: something better is taking its place. I’m not interested in arguments about blog quality, or whether bloggers are journalists, because they clearly provide more context and more analysis at these events. Want to see more than what TV could broadcast? Don’t like that I chose to edit my video to Kohring’s first three minutes? Find a different clip on YouTube.
The MSM benefits from this new pressure as well. The Daily News sent two photographers, a videographer, a reporter and a blogger, which is good for job security and good for our readers.