Harbinger Weekly Retrospective
By Jack Stalter, 4/22/19
The print medium will always be the original form of reporting news around the world. And while the value of print publication should not be lost on this generation—or any others to come—the current state of the news industry is proof enough that the introduction of new media has paved its way into a new era of mass communication. Regardless of what networks you watch, or which newspapers you read, almost all of them have made their way to producing online content.
Thus, we find ourselves in the age of video.
As previously mentioned, print publication is vital when it comes to news reporting—the job of distributing facts typically requires nothing more than words and numbers. But the availability of a video aid can often enhance any story when done properly and well. For this reason, The Harbinger’s 2018 rebranding as a multimedia news outlet entailed, in part, the introduction of both a podcast and a weekly video series.
Produced entirely by a team of students studying everything from mass communication to public relations, Harbingercast and Harbinger Weekly became Harbinger Student Media’s very own podcast and video news report.
Beginning in the 2018 fall semester, Harbinger Weekly saw its debut on Facebook and YouTube with a primary focus on covering campus events, and news that pertains to most college students. Now airing every Wednesday on Harbinger Student Media’s Facebook page, Weekly has offered an alternative to printed news, advertising opportunities that some students may not otherwise know of, in an effort to promote a more connected life on a campus that has a great amount to offer. The series, originally hosted by Sarah Sutton, has been made possible by a fantastic production team including Tony Voss, Sarah Schmitt, Alex Jatzlau, Hank Stuff, Cori Brickner, and Frank Toniny.
In addition to their work on Harbinger Weekly, some members of the video production team are equally interested in working within the cinematic field of the video industry. Thus, on Halloween night of last year, Harbinger Student Media released a short film in partnership with other multimedia students as what can be described as a tribute to the anthology series, American Horror Stories.
The opportunity to collaborate with like-minded students on projects that interest them has been noted as one of the highlights of their time working to cover Harbinger stories.
Harbinger Student Media’s priority as an organization has always been to spread news and information about life on campus, but the creation of a video production team has welcomed a myriad of outside opportunities for multimedia students to pursue. And being housed at a 2-year college means the Harbinger team is always welcoming new contributors and team members, no matter what their major may be.