“The Ben Franklin Project” is happening at the Daily Local News

I think the realization that the news of protests from Iran came from cell phones was a turning point in journalism. At one point and still now the real news from Iran has been transmitted by Twitter posts, written photographed and video recorded on cell phones.  It was an eye opener to journalists when the movers and shakers in the journalist industry were ordinary people broadcasting from cell phones in Tehran. See Twitterjournalism 

Maybe news “papers” is the wrong term. Newspapers costs of publishing and distributing along with diminished print advertising are making it an endangered part of the journalistic industry. Here is another major “cost” in newsprint, the time between an event and the time a customer can read it in newsprint. TV has a similar time problem.  Internet news can bring live news as it happens from anywhere people can go.  And anyone with a story to tell can be a journalist.

The Ben Franklin Project may be another of many new turning points in journalism. It’s happening at all of the Journal Register Company’s newspapers.

See the Daily Local News “Ben Franklin Project” here:

Our local newspapers making history

Our local newspaper is making news among journalists.  See this post by Journalism Professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and writer of “What Would Google Do” Jeff Jarvis:

BuzzMachine Independence day for newspapers

New video recording capability added by camera and lens makers to professional still cameras almost as an afterthought have revolutionized not just the photojournalist profession but have also been zapped up by Hollywood film producers like George Lucas and used  Lucasfilm’s “Red Tails”.  The last episode of “House” was video recorded entirely on a professional still/video single lens reflex cameras designed to be used by photojournalists.

A new kind of on the spot journalism is emerging with the speed of Titter posts and new tools for journalists and photojournalists. Still and motion picture photojournalism are and have combined. Journalists have written directed and photographed and video recorded their own stories. 

Battle for Hearts and Minds-A Documentary on the War in Afghanistan by Danfung Dennis was filmed by that new kind of photojournalist, filmmaker, writer and director. "Battle for Hearts and Minds" was produced using Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, exactly the same camera that you can walk into a “Best Buy” and buy off the shelf.

A Moment in Time on the New York Times “Lens” is another new kind of journalism:

Maybe printed news is an endangered medium but what’s replacing it is exciting.