Putting Candidates Under the Videoscope

PUTTING CANDIDATES UNDER THE VIDEOSCOPE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Brian Stelter]
A look at "off-air reporters," young journalists hired by the networks to follow the candidates across the country, filing video and blog posts as they go. Originally hired to cut expenses -- their cost is a fraction of a full television crew’s -- these reporters, also called “embeds,” have produced a staggering amount of content, especially video. And in this election cycle, for the first time, they are able to edit and transmit video on the fly. As a result, the embeds have changed the dynamic of this year’s election, making every unplugged and unscripted moment on the campaign trail available for all to see. One particular video shot of American flags tilting over behind Hillary Rodham Clinton last November has been viewed more than 300,000 times on the ABC News Web site. A video of the Fox News host Bill O’Reilly shoving a member of Barack Obama’s staff at a New Hampshire campaign rally has drawn almost 150,000 views on YouTube. Through cable television, network news sites and video sharing sites, these unexpected and unguarded moments at rallies and during campaign stops have become part of the narrative of the election. The campaigns themselves are well aware of how video clips can magnify a mistake or attach a faux pas permanently to the candidate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/business/media/11video.html?ref=todayspaper
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