APPLICATION OF NON-CONVENTIONAL TOOLS ON THE NEWS AND BROADCASTING INDUSTRY- A STUDY

Abstract

From being a mere communication tool, mobile
phones have become an indispensable gadget
now-a-days. There are 864.72 million mobile
subscribers (Annual Report 2012-13) and thus
the mobile telecommunications system in India
is the second largest in the world. Over 18
million mobile connections are being added
every month. The field of journalism is no
exception to the trend as mobile phone has
become an essential tool for working journalists
in news reporting.
By using the mobile phones one can
gather and disseminate the information in the
form of text (SMS), audio or video (MMS), or
sometimes a combination of all these. An OB
Van besides being expensive, it needs a crew of
at least two and may amounts to spend a few
thousands rupees for its operations. With
software like Qik and a connected mobile
phone, Journalists can broadcast live video
within seconds by logging-in the programs on
their phone. Even news feed in the form of
footage and photos of major incidents - 9/11
WTO attack, Tsunami in 2004, Bombing of Taj
Hotels in India’s financial capital- which were
captured by the eye witness in their mobiles
were largely used by the news organizations.
A more recent mobile phone technology
known as 3G, for ―third generation,‖ enables
multi-media on mobile phones plus fast
connections and audio-video options. This
article analyses how the mobile phone is used
for news gathering, whether it is useful in
conflict-sensitive reporting, whether it can be
useful in recording exclusive visuals in
investigating reporting. Also, this paper
investigates whether mobile phones have
improved the working conditions for
journalists.