Up Periscope! Everyone’s a Live Reporter Now

[by Howard Fencl, APR]

I’ve media trained dozens of industry leaders who are just now getting their arms around social media and grasping how a single iconic photo snapped during their organization’s crisis by a disgruntled party can spiral into a viral flame storm in seconds.

They’re horrified. And they ought to be. Because whether it’s a reporter feeding content to an active Twitter account, or a former employee with an axe to grind and an Instagram app, a negative photo or post can immediately put your organization in defensive mode. You’ve been framed as the villain, and that’s a very difficult perception to change.

But the stakes are getting even higher. The recent introduction of live video apps, such as Twitter’s Periscope, Meerkat, and NBC News’ Stringwire promises to escalate the phenomenon of citizen journalism, and vastly broaden the live capabilities of every media reporter on the planet.

Live video apps turn anyone into a live reporter. Just fire up the app on your mobile phone, enable your camera and you are instantly transmitting live video. Your live video stream can also be immediately announced in an automatic post to all your Twitter or Facebook followers so they can jump online and watch your live event on their phone. You can text comments and questions over the live video stream and interact with the reporter and other viewers in real time. Periscope and Stringwire allow you to store video of your live event for a time, so people have a chance to view it even after the event is over. Third party apps allow Meerkat enthusiasts to do the same.

I’m beginning to see former news colleagues of mine using Periscope to extend their live reports beyond the confines of scheduled TV news broadcasts. This past weekend, a videographer from WKYC-TV used Stringwire to live stream protesters demonstrating a police-involved shooting verdict. With Stringwire, you can direct a live production switching between camera angles from multiple smartphone users, and simultaneously broadcast that content to YouTube Live. It’s a whole lot cheaper than a satellite or microwave live truck, or even live broadcast backpack units many newsrooms deploy. Expect the number of live streaming users to grow exponentially, and soon.

Though it’s tempting to let our darker angels spool out doomsday scenarios of activist hordes coordinating live streaming video productions outside your headquarters, or aggressive investigative reporters chasing you to your car in an attempted ambush interview all the while streaming the encounter live, there’s one way you can sleep better at night: prepare. Be sure your communications staff understands and can use video streaming apps. Revise your crisis communication plan to include scripts they can use to do their own live streaming reports. Be sure spokespeople have regular media training so they are at ease “going live.”

Apps like Periscope and Meerkat make it that much more critical that you and your organization are prepared to communicate proactively and quickly when a crisis strikes, so you can explain your side of the story first before misinformation about your organization unnecessarily threatens your reputation and puts you on the defensive.