There is alot of talk about Back Pack Journalists (BPJ) at our station. We have some and they do a fine job, but the stations do not know how to use them.
  First they were over sold, they give them a laptop with Avid Xpress Pro now they can write , edit, send to web and drive the car all at the same time it does not work.
  Those of us who have been basicly doing BPJ for years doing interviews editing our own stuff, and have asked for laptops never saw them. All of a sudden after I have learned all the Avid editing on my own they send them to a weeks school. Class is a wonderful thing but were was t for the rest of us?
  In truth the companies are about 5 years behind the employees, all the want to do is get rid of staff and save money at a time when they scream for more content. They should be adding staff not taking away, people will want more information not less, but real information not fluff.
   Those of us who are near the end of our career but have kept up should have been listened to in the first place.
You can do so much with the Avid system and the stations and managment act like they never heard of it. Now they are pushing something that has been done for years and the act like its new.
  Still the truth is you can not drive, edit and write a story sent up headlines and teases write for the internet all at the same time. You still need 2 people or more if you want it to work.
                                                                       
                                                                          Larry Baker
                                                                          Videographer/editor/driver WKYC-TV Cleveland, Ohio

Larry,

  What do you think Avid could do to either better enable backpack journalists or provide tools to accomplish a better workflow here?

Straker

Straker:

I'm going to assume that by "backpack journalists" you mean our active military troops in theater at Afghanistan and Iraq who are part of the media contingent. They are currently using XPRO on laptops, but I couldn't tell you which specific laptops off the top of my head. For them, the most critical factor is the reliability and durability of the hardware which must survive and function in challenging physical environments that are by nature "technology hostile". The software seems to be performing fine, it's the hardware that is the bigger concern.

When I get back after the holiday, I'll poll some of our correspondents in those areas and see what they recommend in the way of tools. Hope this helps, and sorry for the tardy reply.

When I read the original post, I read it more as 'one man band' type of journalists.  The type that are completely self contained whether they are 50 miles from the station or 5000 miles.  They interview, they write, they shoot, they edit, they submit thier stories either in person or remotely.  Think NBC's Richard Engle who covers the middle east.  The combat camera crews are also in a similar type of situation, so very relevant.  Rather than polling for a list of tools that they currently use, i'm really interesting in how they want to work, what hurdles they face and what Avid can do to help enable them.  Perhaps that means integrating with some existing useful tools, or perhaps there is some innovation needed to solve the challenge.  I look forward to hearing more from you after the holiday.

Straker

Larry, we did a story on the videographers that work for the Army.They do a great  job!

I worked at the Pentagon when I was in the service, Room 5B1066 Army TV That was in 1967.

We taped all the newscasts 3 networks at the time and made a kiniscope for all the HQ all over the worl. That was a great smart group of people. Most better tha the commercial people. I wish I would of stayed, but I had a NBC job waiting when I got out. I never thought TV could get so bad. Larry