Around the Wire: Dashcam Journalism’s Rise, Investigative Journalists’ Worries & More Media News

Welcome to the latest installment of Around the Wire, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging, and freelancing stories from the past week.

Photo by photosoflessthanamazingjourneys; used under CC BY 2.0

1. The TransAsia Crash and the Rise of Dashcam Journalism (Christian Science Monitor) 

Initially used as a means of motorist protection in Russia, dashcams have seen a rise in popularity with more news being caught on film.

This past week, for example, a dashcam captured the free fall of TransAsia flight GE235. And it’s not the first time something dramatic has been snapped from the dashboard of a vehicle. Last year, a meteor was seen streaking across the sky. Echoing the expansive nature of news coverage today, these cameras tend to capture what was once unimaginable.

2. What is Data Journalism? (Vox)

As Vox begins to tackle the realm of data journalism, I find myself asking the same question: What is it? Plain and simple, it’s “journalism based off data.” Whereas traditional journalism can be derived from a number of factors, these pieces come strictly from data cultivated on a certain subject matter. The interesting part of the Vox plan is its goal to create an interactive team within its walls while also utilizing its audience in the process.

3. Surprise! Dwindling Resources Worry Investigative Journalists Far More Than Surveillance and Hacking (Poynter)

We all have concerns in the workplace regarding our success. For investigative journalists, the most pressing worry is a lack of resources. So much so that other issues covered in the Pew Research Center’s latest study weren’t even in the same ballpark, let alone the parking lot.

4. Fox News Website Offers Unedited ISIS Execution Video (The New York Times)

It’s slowly becoming a theme this year. What is appropriate for news outlets to attach to their products? Earlier in the year, organizations struggled with whether or not to post images of Muhammad as related to the Charlie Hebdo shootings. This week, gruesome images of ISIS executing a Jordanian pilot posed the same issue.

Fox News chose to post the entire, unedited video. The only major news outlet to do so, it stands as a bold statement. Do we report on and distribute images no matter what the context may be, or does there need to be discretion? Some would argue the latter goes against the principles of journalism itself.

5. Media News and Moves for the Week of Feb. 2 (PR Newswire’s Media Moves)

Media Moves keeps you up to date with who went where in the world of media. This week’s edition includes promotions at the Chicago Tribune and The Wall Street Journal,  an addition to the metro desk at The New York Times and fresh faces being added to The New Republic staff.

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Ryan Hansen is an audience researcher with PR Newswire keeping track of the latest New York media moves. Follow him @RPH2004 for tweets about media, food, and his general take on something that may be irrelevant.