By Chris Burrows, cburrows@shawmedia.com
CHICAGO — Ross Jacobson has changed the way his reporters and freelancers think of web video: It's no longer secondary, but complementary.
Jacobson, the sports editor of the Daily Chronicle based in DeKalb, Ill., spoke at the APSE Great Lakes Region meeting on Monday at the Tribune Tower in Chicago on how video should become fundamental for sports reporters.
"Always carry a video recorder with you," Jacobson advised.
Under Jacobson the Daily Chronicle has used video captured by freelancers, reporters and its web team to complement feature stories, capture key plays and tell stories in a different way.
"Video can show numbers in a way that print can't," Jacobson said.
When his paper was challenged to cover Northern Illinois University's historic selection to the Orange Bowl in January, the Daily Chronicle turned to its web resources to compete for attention with national outlets.
The Daily Chronicle published an archive of web video from throughout the season, armed reporters with cameras to record daily video diaries, used visualization tools to illustrate ticket sales and compiled social media responses during the game using Storify. Former sports editor John Sahly, now the Daily Chronicle's web producer, was integral in the process.
APSE top 10 Orange Bowl preview video: http://www.huskiewire.com/video/index.xml?vidid=2059410962001
APSE top 10 Jordan Lynch video: http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2012/10/18/39473283/index.xml
Orange Bowl video diary: http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2013/01/01/52723640/
Orange Bowl storify reactions, first quarter: http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2013/01/01/79793220/
Second quarter: http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2013/01/01/84195186/
Third quarter: http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2013/01/01/40033665/
Postgame: http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2013/01/02/70282159/
