Interesting article about video in the newsroom from TheDeal: The Times, Fortune, WSJ and others are allowing (or urging) reporters to file video reports on the same content as their columns.

David Pogue at the New York Times has been producing some amusing video that are worth watching because they often provide additional or different details and insight that take advantage of video as a different means of telling the story. (There are a lot of reporters who post headshot-type interviews that are not much different from the traditional text/print articles they file.)

Some organizations now even film a part of their editorial decision process — which is an interesting look at what’s being raised and how the issues are being addressed. Some of the analysis, as TheDeal article points out — like “why does (NY Times Executive Editor) Bill Keller wear that jacket?” — may be a bit too much.

But these videos — both the reporters retelling of their text articles and the view inside the editorial room — are interesting for another reason for PR functions.

Namely, while not all reporters have the ability to be creative the way Pogue does, they are exploring new ways to gather and tell stories across different media.

Right now, a lot of companies are not doing that, but stand to learn a lesson. It adds a layer of cost and stress, but I think more companies should be telling their stories not just with text-based press releases and should be embracing multimedia. I know some companies are doing so, including some of our clients, but not enough are thinking cross-platform.

It’s not enough to think about integrated communications. It’s critical to think cross-platform communications, too. And organizations have to realize that it may take a while before they understand how to best embrace a cross-platform approach. But if they don’t start now, they’ll be late to the party, and less effective for not embracing a cross-platform approach.