Date: 7 December 2011
MY OPINION: It seems to me that reporting back then, gave a sense of immediacy compared to today’s news. Nowadays, we pay less attention on the stories being projected on the screen but rather we listen in one ear and out in the other. News today gives an excuse to showcase good-looking people and more often than not we find ourselves not listening and hence the fact that more and more videos are being shown behind the screen, rather than focusing on the main points of what the reporter has to say. We are consumed by the colourful images and videos exposed from the screen and we forget to find the true meaning of what news truly is.
“At the end of the day Journalism is telling other people’s stories.” (Joyce Smith, Grad. Director of Ryerson’s Journalism Program, Editor for Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star)
In the 1940s, I found that monochromatic filming was more effective and this emphasized the voice of the news reporter. Yes, of course the main focus is the visual clippings illustrated in black and white; but in my opinion the voice-over made a greater impact. It truly did project news that is worth viewing and capturing the essence of urgency through reporting the tragedies of the Pearl Harbor war.
