A new meaning for "eyewitness news"

Hands-free reporting will be one of the most important innovations in journalism. Wearable computers will let reporters instantly create and share the news through their own eyes, in the opinion of broadcaster and instructor Sarah Hill.

She envisions how Google Glass can evolve as a tool for journalists who currently depend on  computers, phones and broadcast equipment in the field—all intrusive. She foresees Glass replacing the satellite truck, even the notepad and pencil. We’re not quite there yet, though she offers plausible suggestions for further development of Glassware to make it possible.

No need to wait. She's found practical applications already in her job as chief digital storyteller for Veterans United Home Loans. For example, she wore Google Glass at a Memorial Day event so veterans who were too sick to travel got a first-person experience of the sights and sounds. The veterans saw what she saw when they joined a Google Hangout. Typically in a Hangout, the camera on the connected computer or phone is capturing the image of the Hangout participant. All the people hanging out can see each other as part of the conversation. But Glass captures on video what the wearer is seeing, not the wearer's face. It's broadcasting “live from my eye sockets,” as Sarah says.