You're driving west on I-70 for a routine trip up to Manhattan. Everything is going peacefully. It's a clear day; 62 degrees, cloudy so the sun isn't beaming in your eyes, and not a drop of rain. Over the horizon you can see billowing smoke a few miles away. The Curious George in you decides to drive further and take a gander at what's going on. Once you reach your destination, you see a heap of cars in front of you. Fire is shooting from a few, smoke is flying up high into the sky, and many people have blood flowing from their foreheads. People should be made aware of this. Luckily you have your camera phone handy. Just a few snaps and a quick send to your local news station and you have become a journalist.
Citizen Journalism gives people of the community a chance to report the news that's going on right in front of them. They are able to give journalists the heads up on what could be reported.
Reporters are always looking for what is newsworthy, timely, and has proximity to the community. Citizen Journalists can give them a push in the right direction. It may be very amateur, but it gives reporters where they need to be looking for stories.
At a time of emergency, it can be very important for citizens to get the word out on what is happening. It can be the first thing to getting adequatereporting resources to a situation. Mark Glaser of Yale Global says that cell phones with camera and video options are the new brand of video journalist.
So what would KUJH gain from gain from citizen journalist? Think of it as gun dogs pointing a hunter in the right direction. It tells them where to look and find the next scoop.
Sit, Ubu. Sit. Good dog.
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