Newspapers are currently very good at text and photography.

But, said Chet Rhodes, Assistant Managing Editor for News Video at washingtonpost.com: "I think of the news organization of the future as being a stool with three legs, the third leg is video. Right now we're all learning how to build the third leg of that stool so we can sit on it."

Will video ever be more important than text on the Post's site? No, he said. But the combination of all three media will make the news organization stool stable.

The Post currently has 175 print reporters trained to shoot news videos. All training was done in-house, on the online side, with Rhodes and his team of three dedicated video staffers.

The reporters use handheld Canon AS 570IS cameras, about 50 of which are deployed across the various desks. On a typical day, washingtonpost.com can get 3-5 videos, although sometimes there are none. Washingtonpost.com also has a department for documentary, enterprise-type video, with staffers using Sony HDDV professional equipment.

So here are a few tips and strategies from Rhodes and the Washington Post for effective news video training and shooting.

Shooting and organization:
 
- At the beginning, in order to make people comfortable, "We're willing to accept 'bad' quality as long as the content is interesting," said Rhodes. Within three years though, he hopes to have 300 trained print journalists who produce high quality video.
- "We keep editing expertise here (at washingtonpost.com) because video doesn't appear in the newspaper," as editing for reporters remains a challenge and specialized skill.
- "We don't want reporters to try to shoot documentaries." One minute video interviews and a few simple shots of a breaking news scene are perfect.
- In fact, on the Web, videos featuring a standup reporter in TV fashion don't work.
- The "WP, WH, WN" rule: Videos should be introduced by a presentation of the outlet, in this case the Washington Post. Then comes the story and "WH" (what's happening). Lastly, reporters conclude videos by giving their insight on "what's next." "Our reporters can tell people what's next in a way that no television reporters can do," because for the most part they don't have the same deep knowledge as do newspaper reporters," said Rhodes. And few broadcasters can afford to have journalistic staffs comparable to those of newspapers.

Training:

- keep training on a voluntary basis. If the newsroom culture is open to the requirements of digital reporting, there will be many volunteers.
- the bulk of training isn't about teaching reporters to do good journalism: it's about them learning which stories are good for video. So reporters learn to pick up a camera on their own when they go on an assignment and file the videos.
- Print reporters come in for a hands-on, personable, four-hour training session. But importantly, this short session should be "the start of a conversation that lasts several years."
- Reassure reporters worried they'll miss out on traditional reporting: "if you feel you're going to miss something, don't do the video," Rhodes tells reporters. Video shouldn't come in the way of text reporting: "Let them decide that, give them the power."

Is video in itself currently profitable for the Post? He couldn't say, but video is costly to produce: consider that washingtonpost.com has a team of four dedicated staffers just for news videos, including Rhodes, as well as contracted shooters. Videos bought from the Associated Press and other outlets are also expensive.

However, looking at US industry standards, a typical video pre-roll ad brings the equivalent in revenue of 7-10 page views (typical pre-roll ad CPM is $20-50, compared to 2-5$ for a typical web Page).

Therefore, on paper, the future of newspaper Web video is viable. Up to newspapers to make the third leg sturdy.

These tips were gathered during the World Editors Forum study tour in the US. More videos, tips and interviews will be published soon.