Carter on the Web

I watched a video on NYTimes.com, where reporter Nicholas Kristof followed former President Jimmy Carter into Ethiopia. The former president is there to help find a cure for river blindness.

I thought this story was a very effective video for the web. First off, it was over seven minutes long, which is very long for a broadcast story, and probably would not have aired on television.

Another challenge the story faces is being just another human rights story out of Africa. Having the former president added some celebrity to the story, which would have helped both in print and on the web. You have to wonder, if Carter hadn’t been there, would they have even done the story?

Considering there are so many of these types of stories to come out of Africa, I have to wonder if people, even myself, would have took the time to read it in a text-only version. Probably not. The story was very personal, not just about the disease, but about the people. True, the personal element could have gone in the print version as well, but seeing their faces, hearing their voices, was very effective. You actually saw these peoples’ suffering and actually saw the former president’s concern.

Another thing I noticed was the tone of the story. Overall the images were very peaceful, even showing beautiful running waterfalls. But the reporter’s voice definitely added to that tone. I expected to hear the normal broadcaster’s voice, but instead he was softer and very informal. At times, it was like he was making it up off the top of his head. His reporting seemed slower and more heartfelt, which couldn’t have been conveyed in a text-only version.

http://video.on.nytimes.com/ifr_main.jsp?nsid=b7d910b32:1110e0896d2:269d&fr_story=3b8984bd9cb95b599a6c6bfebfbe7c0f8309198e&st=1172765739672&mp=FLV&cpf=false&fvn=9&fr=030107_110201_7d910b32x1110e0896d2xbef&rdm=160083.16220719516