Interviewees are less intimidated by smaller, hand-held equipment and more likely to approach reporters with smartphones rather than a big TV crew, the latest research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has found.
In Closer to the Story? Accessibility and Mobile Journalism, Finnish journalist Panu Karhunen carried out a two-part investigation to see how mobile journalism affects accessibility, asking whether journalists can get closer to the story and the subject using mobile technology.
"Mobile journalism increases the overall psychological accessibility and strengthens social interactions, but interviewed reporters stated various disadvantages to filming on a smartphone, such as the credibility of mobile journalists."