Video Dispatch does not exist yet. It is a planned part of NewsToday123, and this page explains what we have in mind. There is no video to watch at the moment, and we will not publish a launch date until we are confident about it.
What we plan to make
The idea is the 60-second explainer: one story, told clearly in about a minute, built for a small screen with the sound off or on. Each one will focus on a single question, such as what happened, why it matters and what is still unknown.
How it will relate to the 1-2-3 Digest
Our written stories lead with a 1-2-3 Digest, three crisp takeaways. We plan for each video to follow the same structure, one point after another, so the video and the article agree with each other. The video will be a way into the story and not a replacement for it. Anything stated in a video should also be supported in the written piece.
How we will keep standards high
- Same fact-checking. Videos follow our Fact-Check Standard, with figures labelled where they are self-reported.
- Clear visuals. Captions and graphics will be used to help, never to exaggerate. Illustrative visuals will be labelled as illustrations.
- Accessibility. We plan to provide captions and transcripts.
- Sponsor labelling. Any sponsored video will be clearly marked, in line with our Editorial Standards.
What you can use today
While we build this, you can get our news in other formats:
- The 1-2-3 Digest at the top of every story, which is the quickest way to get the point.
- The Morning Rundown, our audio brief, if you prefer to listen.
- The Daily Morning Mail, our newsletter, delivering three stories each morning.
- RSS, for following new stories in a feed reader.
Follow our progress
When Video Dispatch is ready, we will announce it first in the newsletter and in the RSS feed. If you would like to tell us which topics deserve a 60-second explainer, or what makes an explainer worth your time, write to [email protected].
An honest note
New formats take time to do well, and we would rather launch late than launch carelessly. Thank you for your patience.
Questions we are working through
We are still deciding on several practical points: how to make videos that work well without sound, how to credit images and footage properly, how to keep production simple enough to stay accurate and how to avoid the autoplay habits that make so much online video tiring. We will share what we decide when we have decided it.