Don't Abuse Multimedia

Today I watched an online video clip from a self-described multimedia news site. In the video, which was a piece on local nightlife, a woman interviewed random patrons at a local club. Taking for granted that this was an entertainment piece, I didn’t expect to watch interviewees discussing the latest developments in the Obama McCain presidential race, but I didn’t expect to watch one of the club’s sloppy drunk patron slurring into the microphone at the top of her lungs either.

Sure, I know that is the fate of most patrons of bars and clubs on Friday nights. Hey, I’ve even dragged a sloppy drunk slurring friend or two out of a bar on occasion and admit that their ensuing drunken antics are often nothing short of side-splitting. Still, I know that even if I did have a video camera handy their antics, while entertaining, aren’t exactly news-worthy. Which brings me to my point.

Adding multimedia applications to traditional news reports on television and on websites has the potential to contribute to a greater understanding of the larger story, but too often multimedia applications on television news and news websites, which these days are often embedded viral videos, seem to do more to sensationalize legitimate news than adding to the public's understanding of what's going on in the world.

Take this year's presidential race for example. There are a number of examples of ways candidates used new media to reach out to young voters via the web. Maybe you have seen Barack Obama's site or online video ads--I am especially fond of the one that spotlights Zoe Kravitz--or you may have gone to Hillary Clinton's site once or twice. Maybe you've even been to John McCain's site. Each of these sites and videos providing One thing is for sure, we have all seen the repetitious grainy viral video of Jeremiah Wright found on youtube embedded across the web and Obama girl which made the rounds on news telecasts and the web which were not newsworthy for the reasons. So the question becomes when is multimedia useful and when is it just fluff? Using new media to present candidate speeches--good. Using new media elements to promote ranting preachers and screaming drunks--bad.