Video veracity

We often talk about the opportunity multimedia reporting provides to tell more of a story – the Web, for example, is a perfect medium for providing audiences access to source documents, links to more information, etc. Now, KCNC-TV in Denver has found a way to use the Web to be more transparent in its reporting, helping audiences to better understand the context of edited video.

In Al’s Morning Meeting, Poynter’s Al Tompkins details KCNC’s investigation of a company that contracts to de-ice aircraft in the U.S. and around the world. According to the report, the company fed test answers to applicants who have to be certified before they can de-ice planes. Tompkins says this is a big deal because Federal Aviation Administration records show that since 1993, 135 airplanes have crashed and 171 people have died because their planes were not properly de-iced.

Al says the station also used its Web site to offer people an inside look at the station’s reporting.

I like how KCNC includes big chunks of raw video on the station’s Web site so you can see that the alarming soundbites used in the story were not out of context. What a smart way to use raw video online.

What many people say they like about viewing raw video is the ability to judge something for themselves. This approach might be useful on any story for which the audience might be skeptical of the editing process – interviews with people on controversial topics or video of events which are open to interpretation. It has the added value of showing the audience what you know and how you know it, making you more accountable to the public you serve.

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