"The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing record of contemporary life that it has become a more important form of documentation than written records."

Whether one form of media is more important than another depends on the type of information being conveyed and the person the information is being conveyed to. This essay assays the importance of the two media types by a comparison of the two media types based on both speed and amount of information conveyed and accuracy of the information. The context is a comparison of news being read either in paper format or on a computer screen against a news story being observed through a cameraman’s video documentation.

The well known saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” could be used to argue that a video would be a more effective form of documentation. In terms of broadcasting news, for certain events where atmosphere and environment are a big part of the story video records this statement holds true. It could take many written paragraphs to describe the setup of a stage, or the atmosphere at a protest but a viewer of video do...