Adopting a mojo mindset: Training newspaper reporters in mobile journalism

Mastering mojo skills

Becoming a smartphone reporter involves a broad set of practical skills and technical knowledge that the newspaper journalists were introduced to during the 2-day training course. The market for professional equipment to enhance the smartphone multimedia production has exploded in recent years, prompting some mojo practitioners to call mobile reporting ‘a gadgets freak’s heaven’ (Salzmann et al., 2020). The mojo instructor concentrated mainly on what he regarded as the most essential and helpful or useful tools for smartphone-based reporting. Based on the advice of the instructor, every journalist who attended the training was equipped by the news organization with a new iPhone 7 Plus, a condenser microphone (iRiG Mic), an automated gimbal (DJi Osmo Mobile Phone Stabilizer), a standard photo camera tripod and professional video-editing software developed for editing on mobile devices (LumaFusion).

In order to test the print journalists’ knowledge of audio-visual reporting, the journalists had to make a short video using their smartphones without any assistance by the instructor. The results displayed deficiencies and errors that were used by the instructor to focus on the fundamental principles and rules that should guide the novices in producing ‘a compelling story’ and ‘a more professional looking piece [of video reporting]’. The exercise was used for sparking discussions about a broad range of practical and technical aspects when reporting with video (e.g. the conception and preparation of the story, choice of location and perspective, framing, exposure and important audio settings as well as how to speak and narrate a 90-second story that included an interview). According to the trainer, traditional TV editing standards and techniques were difficult to master for ‘visual novices’ and very challenging to execute on a small mobile screen. Furthermore, young digital users associated ‘the whole idea of editing’ with ‘less authentic content’. He argued that ‘digital natives were not used to the quality standards typical for professional TV formats and style’.

The journalists were afterwards asked to prepare their smartphones for shooting. This included tasks like changing basic settings, cleaning camera lenses, checking the recording capacity (memory space and battery), inspecting additional equipment (microphone, tripod) and evaluating conditions at the location, such as background, disturbing elements or effects, exposure and audio-recording necessities. Many of the editors were overwhelmed by the technical details they were confronted with, such as frame rates and image resolution standards, and by the multitude of practical issues to be considered before and during filming. When asked by the journalists about the broad range of topics discussed in the course and the need for multitasking, the course instructor answered as follows:

We are talking here about sound and audio, exposure, image composition, editing and preparation. In normal TV settings, these are specialized expert professions, that of an editor, a cutter, a cameraman, a sound and lighting technician. (Fieldnotes)

In this account, the mojo trainer paints a picture of how the technical and practical aspects in the course traditionally originated in five different fields of expertise within professional TV broadcasting. This view can be considered outdated in light of the evolving practices in multimedia journalism. In this case, however, these challenges were met with scepticism and discomfort by the majority of the print journalists and editors. Some of the editors experienced smartphone reporting as a truly overwhelming practice:

I must admit I am simply bowled over by all that. All the things we need to keep in mind, look out for and be aware of . . . and on top of all that we shall give instructions and also moderate the whole thing when I do not know where my head is . . . I am very skeptical whether I will manage all this on my own. I know that we are still too brainy for this, and, sure, we haven’t got the routines yet, but I have my doubts and think it’s quite an obstacle. All those things to plan and coordinate . . . micro and mobile, stability, flight mode, all those settings and so on . . . and mostly you will get only one chance to get it right . . . I probably need to concentrate fully on the tech to get the whole thing to work and won’t have much time for the story. (Local editor, male, 45 years)

During all the training sessions, several editors struggled to coordinate the shooting with their smartphone. It was challenging to speak while simultaneously moving, filming and keeping eye contact with an interview partner as well as keeping track of the surroundings and things that may disturb the recording or distract from the story. The majority of the editors was convinced that this new practice would substantially increase the complexity of their everyday work. They felt that there was strong pressure to immediately master all the new skills.

Editors were, for example, introduced to a handheld camera stabilizer (gimbal), which automatically adjusted and stabilized the smartphone when the journalist was moving. The tool was specially developed to support steady and smooth movements of smartphone cameras. While some attendees were eager to test and try ‘the robot arm’, as it was termed by one of them, others were more reluctant and overwhelmed by the tool. According to the instructor, the stabilizer needed ‘quite some experience for its appropriate application’. To use the tool not only depended on good technical skills but changed the perception of the smartphone journalist out in the field (being more visible/looking more professional).

During the second half of the training and after some shooting and recording exercises, the participants were introduced to a professional video-editing program (LumaFusion) developed for video editing on mobile devices. For most of the newspaper journalists, it was their first time working with a professional multi-track editing software. During the course, they were introduced to the basic functions and features of the software application and learned how to create, edit, export, share and administrate their filming projects. Although the program’s functionality was especially adjusted for editing on small-screen devices, the journalists found that it was challenging to understand the program’s functionality while simultaneously navigating and actually working with the program on the small smartphone screen. The application’s multi-track interface combined with the functional depth of a professional editing software posed significant problems for those who lacked skills in video and audio editing and were new to the basic rules for visual consistency in journalistic storytelling.

For the journalists with a background in writing, becoming a smartphone video reporter implied becoming more dependent on technology and the often-unpredictable circumstances on location. This means that the journalist needs to tackle a broad range of possible obstacles or problems and should be able to come up with creative solutions, a process that is described as tinkering (Guribye and Nyre, 2017; Salzmann et al., 2020). An integral part of the training was thus to teach unconventional practices and solutions, referred to by the instructor as ‘mojo hacks’, in order to solve the technical or practical challenges to do with the equipment used.

These mojo hacks were either developed by the instructor himself based on work experience or could be traced back to the Mojo community, a global network of mobile reporting pioneers and experts (Salzmann et al., 2020). During one of the training sessions, the instructor explained that

when you are out in the field, you always need to be prepared for some challenges, either it’s problems with your equipment or something goes wrong at the location. It’s part of the job, and I think that’s also very fun . . . In my case, I like to come up with creative solutions, and you can, which is a nice side effect, save quite a lot of money with some simple but creative solutions. (Fieldnotes)

The instructor demonstrated how a small, 0.5-L plastic bottle filled with some water and attached to the wrist of the hand holding the smartphone can be turned into an improvized stabilizer, how a wind-shield for an external microphone can easily be made, or how old earplug headphones can be re-used as an additional external microphone. Part of the mojo hacks were also practical tips, such as using the ‘shell-grip’, a way of holding the smartphone to dampen the reporter’s voice when not using an external microphone.

Adopting visual thinking

A fundamental objective of the training was to teach print journalists how and why video reporting must be approached differently from writing text. During the in-depth interview, the instructor explained this as follows:

You see, they are all novices in terms of visual language, not to talk about audio. They really need to learn to think in images and in living videos and also need to talk differently. They have to change their mindset completely. That’s practically the main challenge of this course and is fundamental for working with video and multimedia storytelling.

For many of the participants, this was a profound challenge. Most of the editors had no or very little experience in multimedia reporting, which not only marked them as ‘visual novices’ but as ‘audio-visual novices’. All the course participants, however, had previously filmed with their smartphones and had done audio recordings, but mostly for fun and on private occasions. A majority had deliberately chosen to become writers. They saw their particular strength in their writing skills and ‘thinking in text’ rather than ‘thinking visually’ as an informant explained:

I see myself as a writing journalist. Before and during my academic education, I did practical trainings that were focusing on image production, but that didn’t have any appeal to me. I just realized that I am not the visual type. That’s what I’ve found out. It’s difficult to for me to combine everything—to think the image and then to think the text. I wanted rather to learn to express myself in writing and thought. So, firstly, I wanted to learn to write, and that’s why I have only worked with writing. (Female editor, 46, interview)

Even though all informants had been trained in the basics of journalistic photography at the university, their professional identity was strongly anchored in ‘being a writer’ and ‘expressing themselves with words’. Many informants mentioned they had a high affinity toward texts and ‘a linguistic thinking’ rather than having a talent for ‘visual or audio-visual imagination’. Thinking in pictures was associated with the work of their colleagues in broadcasting. It was described by the newspaper journalists as ‘a complete different craft’ and bound to a different journalistic culture, as a comment by a local editor-in-chief exemplifies:

When I turn up at an event, the colleagues from the WDR [regional TV network of the German public-service broadcaster] are always there. Somehow, they annoy me every time. They always take so much space in the field. They are running here and running there, back and forth, rigging up all their cables and technical equipment and pushing themselves in front of everywhere. They take the whole scene as if it were theirs. (Male, local chief editor, 35)

Television journalists were considered by the informants as ‘more forward-pushing’, ‘more-active’, ‘extrovert’, ‘directive’, and ‘doing several things at a time’ compared to their understanding of a print journalist’s habitus, which was in contrast dominated by descriptions such as ‘being more reserved’, ‘being more comfortable to stand and work in the background’, ‘focused on one thing at a time’, and ‘having deeper reflections’. The print journalists’ perception of their broadcasting colleagues also corresponds with a study by Meltzer (2009), who found that while print journalists were regarded as ‘genuine craftsmen’ in the internal hierarchies of cultural authority ‘TV journalists are still considered the problem partners of the field’ (Meltzer, 2009: 61) and at the bottom of the hierarchy.

During the training sessions, the instructor explained what ‘audio-visual thinking’ meant in practice from his perspective:

You need to go where something happens, not where the press conference is being held . . . you need to think here differently and in pictures. You need to ask yourself, “How can I express this with video?” It doesn’t have anything to do with the method but with video. Nothing is more boring than a film where nothing is happening. If there is nothing exciting, then you need to make some action, like “Ok, let’s go over here or inside there.” . . . The advantage is that it enables you to use a different form of storytelling. You can catch people’s emotions, and you get on a personal level with people. (Fieldnotes)

The underlying requirement of ‘something needing to happen’ or ‘showing something exciting’ was seen by some journalists as a challenge in the context of their daily work routines as local editors. Another journalist pointed out the following paradox that prompted some discussion: ‘To me it is quite strange. On the one hand, you think video gives a greater moment of authenticity, but on the other hand, much of it is very constructed’. Audio-visual reporting and the demand of ‘thinking in pictures’, or as the instructor formulated it ‘always watch with the eyes of your audience’, follows completely different premises than writing texts. In addition, the practice of video reporting seems to be bound to a range of soft skills that the journalists are expected to aspire to, as the instructor’s following to the journalists exemplifies:

You know, video storytelling is a completely different way of reporting . . . It’s always important that it is you who has the last say on it. Treat the microphone as your scepter and never let it out of your hands! You are the boss and the director of the story . . . And always think very carefully about your wording. No announcements but instead targeted calls, like “Ok, let’s go over here!” or “Explain that to me, please!” (Fieldnotes)

For several of the print journalists, ‘acting as the director’ and talking in imperatives was an unusual experience. The forward-pushing and extrovert attitude expected of journalists in video reporting was critically viewed as a mismatch that was not in alignment with the participants` perception of the journalist role and the idea of a balanced and fact-based journalism. As a local editor explained, ‘Normally, when I make story, I write everything down and pick the good things out afterwards’. He continued that he needed ‘time to think thoroughly’ and ‘to consider the whole story’, which meant thinking about the narrative and the persons involved. Another journalist argued that writing texts not only give the journalists better time to think, but, in most cases, the time to rewrite or ‘re-polish’ a text as well. Sources can be contacted afterwards for further clarifications, and the story adapted or changed accordingly. Producing a mobile video, by contrast, was experienced as a ‘fixed one-off method’, putting the journalist under pressure to get everything straight away on the first attempt. Especially the filming was ‘a stressful and overwhelming situation of multitasking’, where the journalist has to simultaneously coordinate and control the equipment, the surroundings of the shooting location, the persons to be interviewed and their own speech.

Integrating ethical and legal awareness

An unexpected, prominent issue that surfaced during the training sessions was legal and ethical issues and institutional arrangements linked to the production and publication of audio-visual media material. Mobile-based video reporting was seen by the newspaper management as an important part of their digital strategy and the journalism training as a step to better integrate smartphones in journalists’ everyday work ‘to overcome their fear of filming’. However, neither the management nor the trained editors appeared to be aware of the broader consequences of producing and distributing videos on digital platforms, which was hinted at by the instructor during the training:

If you are going to publish your video content on a regular basis, then you have to realize that you are becoming by now a TV station. This means you need always to consider the ethical and legal aspects that are related to your work. In some cases, filming itself is considered a criminal act . . . You see, there is a reason why broadcasters always have large legal departments as part of their organization.

The production and distribution of videos on digital platforms, especially in Germany, follows a wide range of ethical standards and a complex regulatory framework based on the German media and press law, the fundamental rights of informational self-determination, data privacy regulations, copyrights and the legal enforcement of the protection of youth and children. To navigate this ‘jungle of rules’ as the instructor put it, he pointed out that developing visual awareness among the journalists is not enough for the institution when transitioning to a mojo mindset. He urged the editors to develop better supportive structures and routines within the organization to back up mojo journalism and emphasized the importance of indexing web archives, providing copyright agreements, and securing internal judicial assistance and expertise similar to TV-based news institutions.

Even though only the most important regulations were mentioned during the training, exemplified by a few cases and real-life scenarios, the topic of ethical and legal considerations sparked vivid discussions in the group. The fact that in most cases a prior acquisition of filming rights is necessary before shooting represented for some another obstacle in the already time-consuming practice of video reporting and suggested the prospect of new hurdles.

Another issue that often came up during the workshops was the legal restrictions on filming children and young adults under the age of 18. The issue was closely related to the daily work routines of some local editors, and many of the editors were surprised by the fact that recording and distributing audio or/and visual content of minors is basically considered a criminal act and regulated by the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch). In other words, filming children and teenagers is not an easy matter for German journalists and is only possible under specific rules and with permissions. For some of the local editors who regularly report on activities of local youth clubs, schools, or kindergartens, this came as a surprise, making the prospects of their new work practices even more complicated:

I report regularly on the activities of the local kindergarten. This has always been part of my work, and actually people in the local communities are very interested what happens there. How shall I deal with that, when I am supposed to deliver from now on videos, but the filming of children is not allowed? (Local editor, female, 32 years)

In order to deal with the complicated regulations, especially in cases as the one mentioned above, the instructor pointed out that it would be necessary to develop ‘a sensitivity and awareness about the juridical and ethical questions’ that smartphone reporting involves. This applies not only to individual journalists but to the whole news organization.

Some of the attending sports journalists were more enthusiastic about the new possibilities that smartphone-based video production could offer for their work. The regional newspaper regularly covered news about the local football club, which is one of the most famous and professional sports clubs in Germany (Borussia Dortmund). One of the journalists working in the sports section explains this as follows:

I think if we could deliver some short clips to our texts that would be really great . . . for example, when I make an interview with one of the players during a training session. This would definitely have added value. Especially for us in the sports department. The fans are eager to get news about the club. So, I think smartphone reporting is very interesting for us. (Sports journalist, male, 39 years)

However, the positive expectations of the sports journalists were dampened after they became aware of the sports clubs’ complex and strict filming licence–management.

Mastering mojo skills

The first theme is the most discussed and documented one by previous research. When adopting new workflows and tools into journalistic work, learning how to operate and use these tools is fundamental (Burum, 2016; Kumar and Mohamed Haneef, 2018; Wenger et al., 2014). In line with previous research in the field, we emphasized how learning these skills is tightly interconnected with the tools of the trade (Weilenmann et al., 2014) and how the journalists need to take on the role of a multiskilled all-rounder (Bock, 2012; Deuze, 2004; Martyn, 2009; Perez and Cremedas, 2014; Phillips et al., 2009). The examples given in our rich description of the training and the topics addressed further corroborate how the journalists need a combination of the traditional journalistic skills, technical skills and digital competences (see, e.g. Burum, 2016; Burum and Quinn, 2016). In some cases, this also involves using their own body as a tool (Bock, 2011), working with how they move their body around to establish a presence in the field to get the right shots, and even ‘zooming with your feet’. Moreover, these multimedia journalism skills enable the journalist to work across platforms, shoot video, record audio, write, edit and publish stories. The mojo reporter needs to relate to an infrastructure and an ecology of tools (Guribye and Nyre, 2017; Salzmann et al., 2020), such as social media platforms and in-house publishing systems.

Further, working as a smartphone reporter means not only learning skills and basic principles of traditional broadcasting but adapting workflows and engaging in practices fostered by smartphone solo reporting, including new forms of storytelling and following new trends in digital culture (see Kumar and Mohamed Haneef, 2018). Smartphone reporting also involves more meta-level skills, such as tinkering (Adams, 2019; Guribye and Nyre, 2017; Salzmann et al., 2020) which was described in the training as learning how to do ‘mojo hacks’.

Adopting visual thinking

Learning how to operate a smartphone camera and edit video on your smartphone or computer with expertise and creativity are key parts of developing mojo skills. In our analysis, however, we saw examples of how mastering audio-visual media goes beyond just learning how to use new tools and new ways of storytelling. The transition also involves thinking differently – that is, adopting visual thinking. In our case, this way of thinking was perceived to be counter to the professional identity of the editors and print journalists. Their identity was strongly anchored in ‘being a writer’ and ‘expressing themselves with words’. They had an affinity toward texts and a linguistic thinking rather than visual thinking or audiovisual imagination. Some of our informants also stated that one of the reasons for choosing to become a journalist was motivated by their particular strength in expressing themselves with words. Audiovisual reporting, by contrast, was experienced as a completely different craft, which was linked to a natural ability for visual dexterity and also to certain sets of personal traits or interests that differ from how the print journalists perceived themselves. Broadcasting was seen as a different craft that relied on different behaviour, such as being more extrovert, pushing forward, taking space and being in the middle of the scene. A particular challenge that illustrates this dilemma is the need to know how to construct authenticity with pictures. In the field there is little time to think and reflect, but the mojo reporter should find the right scenes, interview the right people and take a more directive role. This challenge also relates to how smartphone reporters should use social media spaces to publish and disseminate the story, for instance via live streaming. Adopting visual thinking is closely connected to the professional identity of journalists and challenges an established mindset (se also Bock, 2011; McGuire and Murray, 2013; Robinson, 2011). The new media spaces thus challenge the core of what it means to be a journalist (Deuze, 2004; Hermida, 2019; Wallace, 2009).

Integrating ethical and legal awareness

A dimension of mojo practice that has been emphasized by researchers is how the introduction of new technologies challenges the ethical considerations that are part of the journalistic practice (Burum, 2016; Guribye and Nyre, 2017; Hill and Bradshaw, 2018; Quinn, 2012; Salzmann et al., 2020). The awareness of codes of conduct in audio-visual reporting as well as other ethical and legal aspects related to mobile technology, often in relation to social media, prompted new potential dangers and ethical dilemmas to be discussed. ‘Working as a mojo often involves high-speed reporting’ (Quinn, 2012: 58) as being in the field with a smartphone provides new opportunities for capturing footage and livestreaming events at the moment when something happens. Journalists might get very close to actions and events in an unobtrusive manner (Burum and Quinn, 2016; Karhunen, 2017).

In our analysis, we found that it is key for reporters to have and be aware of the supportive structures in the organization that could guide them in their audio-visual work as there are new ethical challenges and legal frameworks that pertain to this work. The ethical challenges are related not only to each journalist being aware of the legal framework and the pertinent ethical concerns but to the institutional level. A news organization, when transitioning to a mojo culture, needs to have institutional preparedness, meaning that they need new routines and ethical guidelines as well as legal resources for handling matters of privacy, visual copyright, licensing and media archiving. The training itself is a step in providing the journalists and editors with more insight into these topics, thus, preparing the organization for the transition to integrating mojo practice into their ways of working.