The journalists are working with their arms tied to their backs. There is an ever-increasing reliance on technology-driven low-quality production, hang-ups due to volatile wi-fi connection and a scattered dependence on social media for reaching out to people as they continue to obey government guidelines whilst working from home. To add to the mix is the constant anxiety of being furloughed as coronavirus threatens to rip apart the British news industry. The print industry had already been living hand-to-mouth with most local newspapers relying on advertisement generated revenue. Considering the recent spate of events even The Economist and Financial Times have made chunks of their content "free to read". Therefore, whilst it is unfortunate, it is hardly surprising that the Jewish Chronicle seems to have gone into liquidation.
Newspapers have been hit particularly badly, with people not going to shops to buy copies and advertisers cutting back, leading to warnings that many outlets will close.
But the virus as re-iterated by governments is not discriminatory and in its wake has caused substantial disruption to the broadcast bureaus as well.
“We are in the business of pictures and for us, it is a question of how we are telling our stories if we can’t go out and film them?” says Ria Chatterjee, a reporter with ITV News.
Ria has been filming TV packages from her home for some weeks now. She still relies on her traditional methods of news gathering: working her contacts and Twitter DMs to approach people. The struggle now is with the news production process where she has to rely on Zoom, FaceTime and Skype to film her interviewees and make peace with the fact that the visual element of the news will not align with the ideal broadcasting standards.
“Editing from home is difficult because of the different software we used at our offices to what we are using at home now. But the important part is we are still able to bring out the news,” she says.
From ordering 2m long fish poles for their microphones to learning the latest software for self-producing the shows online, the broadcast industry is required to constantly find that balance between reporting the ground reality even when they are not on the ground. But things are only worse for those who are reporting from the ground.
A few weeks ago Sky News’ chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay had travelled to the heart of Europe's coronavirus pandemic. Filming a special report ‘Into the Red Zone’ Ramsay and his team was masked, gloved and in a hazmat suit yet at the risk of contracting the infection, as he interviewed doctors, nurses, and medics in Bergamo’s central hospital. His documentary compelling the British government to learn from the failings of the Italian counterparts especially as the UK is considered to be following Italy on the mortality curve.
However, in these difficult days, there are reporters like Shabnam Dutta Sahi providing a beacon of hope to her listeners through her ‘TheShabnamSahi’ show on Sunrise radio every day from 9 AM to mid-noon. As many continue to struggle with high levels of anxiety and depression from being cooped up in their houses and going out for just their solitary walks, Sahi believes the onus lies on her more than ever to lift the spirits through cheerful songs and positive discussions.
Broadcasting from home in these testing times, she has practically built a makeshift in-house studio with the help of her producers and tech experts. Her only essentials a laptop, an audio software, a microphone and a silent corner of her house.
“During our conference call, our MD Tony has time and again emphasised that our people need us the most to keep their morale high during these testing times. We can’t shut shop now that everyone is panicking and in a coordinated team effort we can broadcast live from our homes every day.”
Can this be the new normal then, reporting from home? Both Ria and Shabnam believe that they are making “reporting from home” module work because they have to.
For those freelance broadcast reporters who have a story they want to tell but are struggling to film their Skype interviews from home, can try a troubleshoot formula.
Tech experts and producers recommend positioning the computer on a stack of books or a shelve so that the camera is slightly higher than your head. And then the screen of the laptop has to be tilted so that it is pointed down into your eyes. Even during daytime setting a lamp next to your laptop and on the side of your face will help add light to the visual. A piece of plain white paper or a white tablecloth on the table should be placed on the table such that it remains invisible in the frame. This white sheet helps in creating a bit of fill and bounce.
