Periscope’s promise and peril

By Ben Lyons / Live streaming is pushing further toward the mainstream, but hurdles remain. With Twitter’s March acquisition of the mobile application Periscope (launched a few weeks after its main competitor, Meerkat), live streaming is now more accessible to both streamers and viewers. The riots in Baltimore apparently have offered Periscope a journalistic coming out. The Guardian’s Washington correspondent Paul Lewis has been lauded for his powerful interviews conducted over the streaming app. But the media may need to be reminded that the content of streams are more often raw information than actual journalism. And in areas where journalism and the entertainment industry mix, apps like Periscope can land media personnel in hot water.