Mobile Journalism is becoming mainstream in todays digital world.  CBC reporter Dan McGarvey uses a cell phone to make content for radio, television and online.  He specialises in covering underreported communities in regional Canada, and in his Twitter thread.  Mobile journalism is digital storytelling where the main device used for newsgathering and content creation is a smartphone.  Photos, videos, audio, and graphics can be created and edited on the phone and uploaded to newsroom servers, and to online and social platforms, directly from the device.

A Journalist can also respond to audience queries and contacts via chat apps, social messaging, and email, and use the phone to make calls to arrange interviews – all with the one device.  Smartphones enable any journalist to build new skills quickly and affordably – from news photography to radio and podcasts, to social-first storytelling, to making TV news and documentaries.

Mobile apps and equipment are cheaper than traditional broadcast journalism equipment and software and smartphones are also lighter and smaller.  This makes multimedia storytelling more accessible to reporters on a budget, and to people living with a physical disability.  What makes mobile journalism truly revolutionary from a storytelling perspective is that members of the audience increasingly have access to a mobile phone.  This means a journalist can include the voices of the community in their storytelling and make their journalism more inclusive.  Most modern phones can film in 1080p high-definition video, and can film reasonably well in low light.  Flagship phones like Apple and Samsung also offer good depth of field, camera zooming, a choice of frame-rates, and optical image stabilization so a journalist can capture handheld footage that isn’t too shaky.

One of the world’s top mobile journalists is Barkha Dutt.  Based in Delhi, Barkha covers hard news and politics with a smartphone.  Her one-woman news organisation, Mojo Story, has over 7 million followers on Twitter and more than 800,000 on YouTube.  TikTok and Instagram Reels have become two of the most popular platforms with young news consumers.  To keep them informed, many journalists have set up TikTok accounts, like Journalist Max Foster at CNN.