The BBC multimedia package

Convergence

Convergence is described by The Missouri Group as providing a variety of outlets to a variety of audiences. Multimedia packages have to offer both convergence and interactivity to remain competitive in today’s market.

Based on this description, I found BBC News to offer a fairly successful multimedia package.

Video

“Nurse guilty of killing patients” was the top BBC story on Monday, March.3. To compare the content of text to video, I viewed both versions. Both the article and related video used Stuart Hall as a source and used the same quote.

The first 33 seconds of a police announcement video by Det Ch Supt Chris Gregg was also directly quoted at the end of the article. This means I went from reading the direct quote in the text to viewing it on video. I had consumed the same information twice.

Despite repetition of information, my combined viewing did broaden my knowledge. The video report showed Colin Norris’s interview with the Police before he was charged, a source only available through the video report.

The video also allowed me view the full police announcement instead of just reading quotes from the first 33 seconds. The most important thing gained from combining formats was context. The text chronologically set out events and the video complemented it with footage of police announcements and interviews.

Design

The BBC has the potential in place for an excellent multimedia service. The design of the site is clean and clear, an important technique when many multimedia options are available.

The main news story commands the middle of the screen. The features, views and analysis are further down in a shaded box. This visually distinguishes news from features and makes the sections accessible to readers. It also allows users to keep their viewing relevant to their needs.


Interactivity

The scope of options in the video and audio section is impressive. There are 50 video and audio reports on one page that are all available in one click.

The move towards interactivity is also evident. The “Have Your Say” section has a site for the UK, Europe/America, Africa, Asia and Middle East. This allows many opinions to be voiced, a key part of interactivity. Users are also encouraged to send in their pictures.

Quality

The foundations for a great multimedia service are visible but there is one aspect that is letting the site down – the quality of video and audio. The video quality is pixilated, is slow to load and can mostly be viewed in a small box. The accompanying sound is poor quality and out of sync with the video.

I have now switched my UK news source to Sky, because it offers a much higher quality of video footage. It is a shame that the BBC, a site with such potential for multimedia interaction, fails to meet competitor’s standards in this area.

Olympic officials refuse basic questions

Photo from McClatchy:China rises blog

Blog Layout

The Blog: China rises posted an article on March 7 about the new olympic village.

I thought this article was enrichened by the pictures.

It offered a visual aid to the desrciption given of these "beautiful " facilities that will hold the "16,000 athletes and officials will stay during the Games".

Opportunity to reflect

The blog used the uncovering of these facilities as a means to report on the anxieties felt by
journalists.

Minute details are being given about consturction and environmental measures but answers to the questions people really want to know are not being provided.

This point is backed with an example. The Sunday Times reported a couple of months ago that 10 workers had died during construction of the “Bird’s Nest” national stadium. Olympics officials did not respond for days.

Although the example was important, it would have been good if it was in-linked within the blog so I could have read the full article for myself. This is an aspect I thought this article lacked.

Authenticity

All of the McClatchy blogs have a sidebar box featuring:

• The bloggers name and some personal information.
• A link where you can send in your story ideas
• Ability to email the blogger.
• A link to read all of the bloggers online web writing for McClatchy.

The Obama phenomenon is struggling in Israel

Reading a US election campaign article written outside the US media network offers you the chance to broaden your opinions.

US Perception

Obama has been winning over the voters with his charismatic personality and confident speech delivery and the US media have been lapping it up. Only recently, after Clinton accused the media of being overly critical towards her, have reporters began to self-assess their work.

The recent court case of Tony Rezko, has allowed the media to critically examine Obama's connection to Rezko. Having been involved with Rezko over his personal real estate dealings, Clinton's campaign released a statement urging Obama to confront the issue.

Had I typed Obama and Rezko into a Google search a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't have achieved the same amount of links as I can now find. The media has put it firmly on the agenda, arguably off the back of Clinton's complaints, and this could be an issue that comes back to haunt Obama.

Israel perception

The checkpoint Jerusalem blog article highlighted an issue that is beginning to creep through into US media and could start to become crucial in the next stage of this campaign.

It will be interesting to come back to this topic in a couple of weeks and compare the amount of articles that appear in Google. On March 7, the search "Obama viewed with suspicion in Israel" generated 142,000 related results.

Obama is generally viewed within Israel with suspicion is the topic discussed in the blog.

There are a couple of US mainstream media companies that are beginning to pick up on this issue. The blog links you to an example.

Scaremongering

Scaremongering is always used in politics, especially within a presidential campaign and I think this technique will begin to push this topic further into the mainstream media.

It can already be seen to be trickling through. The blog allowed had in-linking to Obama's opposition scaremongering techniques.

McCain has had to apologize for two members of his party for deliberating using Obama's full name Barack Hussein Obama and deliberately trying to provoke controversy.

The drudge report claimed that the picture of Obama in traditional African tribal dress was slipped by Clinton staffers. If true, this is another example of how quickly a topic can be grabbed by politicians and media and used to their advantage.

Photo from Chicago Tribune