Most of the time around here our news coverage takes the form of the written word--whether in print or online. Yesterday, with the historic nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, our colleagues at the National Law Journal's Blog of Legal Times supplemented their written coverage with video. Supreme Court Correspondent Tony Mauro shared his thoughts on Judge Sotomayor's nomination in a simple but well-produced interview. Check it out here:

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/05/web-video-tony-mauro-discusses-sotomayor.html

Video cameras are now relatively inexpensive, and the editing software no longer requires a degree in rocket science or special equipment to use. When we initially started to talk about making greater use of video on our news websites, I thought we would need specially designated cameramen and editors, and an investment in expensive technology. But as several of our newsrooms have demonstrated, simple cameras and modest amounts of training can turn our reporters and editors into video producers, at least on a modest scale. I think that opens up many creative and exciting possibilities for the way in which we cover the news, and I hope we'll find more such opportunities to experiment with news presentation alternatives in the days to come.