In ch. 5 of “Journalism Next” Mark Briggs discusses the role that mobile journalism has taken on in the reporting world.  With advances in technology, and especially the smartphone, reporting and receiving information happens and a much higher rate of speed now.  Anyone with a smartphone in their pocket can become a reporter and any second.

One of the first things Briggs brings up is that the deadline is always the same: right now. No matter what the story is or what is taking place, the sooner that coverage begins, they better that story will be.  The ability to cover something from the moment it happens will help tell a more complete story and give the public a better idea of what is taking place.

Briggs also stresses the importance of choosing the right story to be covered using a mobile device.  Can the story be covered in small chunks?  Using a mobile device will not allow for the reporter to type large pieces of text.  It is important to be able to accurately describe the situation using a string of continuous small updates.  Will the story be ok if told with a sense of urgency?  These small updates will give off the appeal of a sense of urgency.  Not all stories will be best suited to be told with and urgent tone.  Obviously any emergency event would be ok, but you would not want to do a feature story in an urgent tone.

While mobile journalism certainly has its place in the reporting world, it was not always the best choice for us to use in our class projects.  Most of our stories were well thought out and planned.  We scheduled interviews and photo shoots.  These types of stories would not benefit for being told with a sense of urgency.