Raw Video Appeal

One of the things we talked about this summer at the Poynter Institute was the value of raw video footage. Footage that needs no voice over or explanation tied to it. We'll explore this throughout the quarter, but here are some examples of raw video that's been posted on YouTube:

1. Obama's election night celebration in Chicago's Grant Park: Shot with a camera phone, this is a great example of the value of raw video. It takes you there. In the crowd, in the trenches. The TV cameras on election night gave us the big picture, but this footage shows what it was like to be a part of the historic night.



2. Detroit City Council fights: Typically, a routine council meeting or speech doesn't make for great raw video. But this is an exception: when something so outrageous or odd behavior (remember news judgment standards).

Obama Calls on Blogger at Presser

President Obama caused a stir when he called on a Huffington Post blogger at a recent White House news conference.

This upset some established, traditional media covering the White House who suspected that the blogger was a plant and that the president knew the question in advance.

The Huffington Post and the White House both denied it.

Read more about it in this New York Times article.