Tips to help journalists maximize their iPhones

The iPhone 4S offers journalists new avenues for mobile journalism.

By Dalton Barker

With the continued proliferation of social media and the need for journalists to report and inform instantly, knowing how to use an iPhone is becoming essential.

Many of us are aware you can record interviews on the device. But did you know you can also buy an iPhone tripod to snap detailed images for your newsroom?

Didn't think so.

This is one of the tips the International Journalists' Network suggests to help mobile journalists improve their iPhone photography. IJNet also lists camera apps that might come in handy, including AutoStitch, a tool for creating panoramic images.

At least one media giant has thrown its support behind the devices. Gannett purchased thousands of iPhones and iPads in December for its newspapers and said it would train journalists to use them, according to a company memo.

Citizen journalists have also latched on to mobile devices -- and naturally, those in power have taken note. The Syrian government banned iPhones to limit citizen journalists from spreading information about violence there, according to a foreign report cited on The Next Web.

Many iPhone users face the challenge of keeping up with new product releases. To help after Apple released the iPhone 4S in October, Poynter published a list of things journalists should know about the device. Those include its 8-megapixel camera and Twitter integration.

Jonny Evans of Computerworld offers yet another resource with his "10 Apple iOS apps for mobile journalism." The tools range in use from audio recording to note taking.

For now, get outside, and snap some pictures with your phone. You might even become a viral sensation like Janis Krums. That is, if you happen to see a plane in the Hudson River.

Photo courtesy of Maximum PC