Most of us from generation X, and early generation Y, will remember the pioneering days of wartime correspondent reports from the Gulf War; Kate Adie and others perched on rooftops delivering shaky satellite video reports, while scud missiles struck buildings, sometimes perilously close by.
Since those days two way video technology has transformed the way news and live events are broadcast. We see conferencing solutions being used for a variety of reasons these days. We see interviews with experts being held on the other side of the world. We enjoy interactions between people in the studio with those on the ground at Westminster, at Wembley, or on transfer deadline day all around the country. What we don’t see is the amount of conversation over iPad and in meeting rooms that informs opinion and builds the story we are delivered. Video conferencing is now fully integrated into the way most media outlets research and deliver the news.
In very few other fields can one see just how transforming distance-based live communication can be. In the corporate environment we know that board members around the world are discussing strategic decisions, takeovers and appointments. We may see distance meetings happen in our workplace but, in the news, every day we see key influencers and authorities debating the relative merits of different points of view. It makes a huge difference to the way we experience the world through the news.
