Concentra VJ award: the winner

The annual Concentra Video Journalism Awards were held this week. The winner: Alexandra Garcia, a VJ with the Washington Post, for her piece about about a free medical clinic in the US.

So what’s good about it?

• Well clearly it’s a great story, and it’s got an abundance of great characters. Alexandra gives them time to breathe and doesn’t talk all over them.
• In true VJ style it has great access to the story, and often just shows action happening
• It doesn’t follow any of the rules or styles of traditional TV news packaging
• She introduces the story with a voice over at the beginning but then we hardly hear her; she lets the subjects tell the story
• It’s an example of ‘solution journalism‘, showing an answer to a problem, rather than just reporting the flaws of the US healthcare system
• It’s not too long
• And technically it’s very sound, right down to the short f-stop in the final shot which blurs out the background.

What do you like about it?

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Maybe letter writing does work…

Today’s Media Guardian has a spread announcing the launch of the 2007 Student Media Awards – the annual parade of student journalism talent in the UK.

And for the first time, there’s a category for Student Broadcaster of the Year.

It’s taken 12 months exactly…but maybe letter writing does work:

Shame all three of us are no longer elible to enter though.

[Cheers to Doidge for the tip off]