The lies you tell yourself…they lies they tell themselves…

As House infamously says, "Everybody lies." One of the "lies" of journalism is that journos are neutral - they don't take sides.  They are objective. Realistically objectivity is bullshit. The difference between a professional journalist and a crazed blogger on a rant is a sense of their own weaknesses and an attempt to be fair. …

Game changer…

Every now and then something comes along and the reaction is, "COOL!  Why didn't I think of that?"  (or..."I thought of that years ago and it's FINALLY come out.) Back in the early 2000s JVC had something called the GY-DV300u aka the Streamcorder. That little gem was way ahead of its time. I grabbed one …

Storytelling and storytellers…

Although there are many resources on the web to watch great videos, there's one outstanding one if you are primarily interested in visual storytelling news style. TV News Storytellers on facebook has daily posts from cameramen all around the country soliciting input on how to become better or posts from experts in the field demonstrating …

Long, long time ago…

...in a backwater little valley town called Sacra-tomato, change was afoot. Broadcast news...long the bastion of white males wearing cameras and suits...opened up to minorities and women. (Thank you FCC.) Enter into this a tough talking chick from New Yawk and a kinda shy kid from further south in the valley. They met, they meshed …

What is a “Controlled Shoot”…

You're never too old to learn...and I picked up a new term this week, thanks to a request for a critique on b-roll. I'm not gonna post the comments made - you can look them up yourself. But the new term is "controlled shoot." Or as the cameraman says, aka "staging." Wow. And as if …

Oooo! Oooo! The big “P” word!

I don't know what YOU'RE thinking - I was referring to prostitution. As in when news forgets who it is and decides to strut in full frontal costume through the promotions or marketing department. Uh...they tried that back in the day too, but then the news directors didn't bite - they bit back and refused …

Video viewing habits…

Thanks to tvspy for the link to this study about video viewing habits. Check out full details by reading the full article, but summarized in their headline: Live TV Is For Old People: Time Shifting And Online Make Up Nearly Half Of All Viewing

The Phoenix is back…

According to Rick Edmonds at Poynter Online, the possible new model for news startups is developing...gotta run, but take a gander.

Dammit I just can’t wait for the video…

Just got the perfect interview for the book!!! Fred Pardini, former chief photog for KGO in San Francisco, is retired now and nearing 80. Words out of the past best describe him: dapper, genteel. I spent two hours picking his brain on camera and have a wealth of information on his career and move from …

When life becomes history…

There are events you live through that you know will become part of history. And then there are everyday events and people whose lives suddenly come back at you, and you realize you lived through something special. Yesterday Newell and I went to the downtown Stockton Cineplex and watched "Milk." I knew the guy the …