News reporting lag times have decreased dramatically from the '70s with the development of digital media.
Years ago, I heard an NPR interview with ABC newsman Ted Koppel. He explained that, while he was reporting from Vietnam, there was an approximate 5-day lag time between the field and actual airtime. He would record his report on tape, the tape would then be driven to the airport, where a plane would transport it--along with other things--to the US. There it would go to the ABC newsroom, where it would be edited and then aired. About 5 days.
In the interview, Koppel then went on to explain that his daughter had become a reporter. Her lag time was about 24 hours. She would report and send the audio/video file into the station (via email, probably) and then it would be aired within the day.
Today, thanks to digital media, all of this is instantaneous. News companies regularly show live news reports with embedded reporters on their websites. And anyone with digital video camera or cell phone with video can post to Google News or YouTube.
With increased speed comes increased content. Is speed necessarily a good thing?
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