ESPN Lacks Video

My biggest issue with the video, Inside the Huddle: Injuries Hit the Colts and 49ers, on ESPN.com, was the lack of video images. There was no footage of the players discussed in the package, which happened to be two injured Indianapolis Colts and one injured 49er. The only images were of two reporters, one who quickly introduced who they were going to discuss in the form of a question, and the reporter who answered the question. The answers to the questions were long, so long that they should have had footage of the players in question played over them. File footage even could have been used. It was very upsetting to see so little effort put into this package. At first glance it appears to be good journalism, as the reporter answering the questions is knowledgeable about the subject he’s speaking on, but the lack of production effort is atrocious. There is no point in having this be a visual story, it would have been a better radio piece. If this were a text only story the questions would not have been posed and the lead in would have been a lot better than it was. There would have been less concentration on analysis and more on the bigger picture. But basically this story wouldn’t lose much by being a print story because the lack of visuals was so upsetting. There is no point in staring at a reporters face while they talk about someone else for a minute and a half.