Video journalism

"Video journalism" is a quasi-professional form of broadcast journalism. A "video journalist" (or "VJ") simultaneously handles the roles of reporter and videographer while in the field.

Most in the realm of professional broadcast journalism consider the term "video journalist" nothing more than a buzzword for "one-man banding." A "one-man band" is an uncommon (but not unheard of) practice in newsrooms among smaller market stations. A single person simultaneously handles the roles of reporter and videographer while in the field.

A traditional television field crew consists of no more than two people: the reporter and the cameraman. Larger field crews may be used in bigger productions. However, in local news broadcasts, finding a crew with more than two people in the field is extremely rare.

"Video journalism" is an example of the classic cliché: "jack of all trades, master of none." While reports by a "VJ" may be accurate, it will most likely be visually amateurish. Broadcasting a boring-looking story defeats the purpose of a visual medium like television and, predictably, loses viewers.

Likewise, a report filed by a "VJ" could be quite visually appealing, but riddled with factual inconsistencies. Irresponsible writing can lead to major misrepresentations or negligence, leading to the instigation of legal woes for a station.

"Video journalism" produces semi-professional output at best. At worst, it produces a mish-mosh of poorly-shot, unattractive video joined to misleading and incorrect facts.

Of the few local news stations that made the switch to "video journalism," one (WKRN) is abandoning the system in favor of traditional (and more reliable) two-person teams.