Archive notice: This article was originally published on December 9, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
An animated video bringing speculation about Tiger Woods’s private life to screens worldwide is now provoking criticism of a new form of speculative sensationalist journalism. The fictional report about the golf star’s car accident has already been viewed more than 1.7 million times on YouTube. The video, which shows Tiger Woods’s wife chasing her husband with a golf club, was produced by a Taiwanese company specialising in turning web rumours into films.
Next Media employs programmers, designers, animators and even actors to depict internet speculation in short videos. The audience can distinguish between serious reporting and such presentations, the operators responded to criticism. However, the same company also houses tabloid publications from Hong Kong and Taiwan, which in turn refer to the videos in their articles. Critics see this as a worrying vision of journalism’s future.
It is therefore said to be only a matter of time before similar services launch in the United States. Most videos produced by Next Media have so far concerned local news. Around 20 videos go online each day. The excitement surrounding the Tiger Woods video has now significantly increased international attention for the project, the producers say. The task now is to improve quality and use new possibilities.
