Crowdsourcing, or badsourcing?

I was one of the many people who wasn't familiar with the term crowdsourcing before it was introduced in class.

Once I did some research, I realized I was familiar with what it is, just not the technical name.

I think of all the outside journalism topics we've talked about, this one interests me the least. Citizen journalism, podcasts and mashups are exciting things that I think one day I will take part in. But, crowdsourcing? I'm not sure.

It's no secret I want to be a sports journalist. It's known by everyone in class. When you're reporting about a game, I want someone who knows what they are talking about, someone who has a successful background and someone who is related to the sport I am watching.

However, crowdsourcing does have a minor spot in the sports journalism industry. When Trent Green suffers a concussion, sportswriters scramble to talk to trauma doctors about the repercussions of a concussion and the aftermath.

After Trent Green got knocked out, journalists scrambled to talk to people about concussions.

When a college basketball player gets shot on the streets of Pittsburgh, again sports journalists scramble to talk to people who know about crime. They don't always chase down policemen or crime experts, but sometimes people on the streets that know about how bad the crime is in a certain spot.

But, in my industry, a guy sitting around his garage working on his car all day isn't going to know before I do that a certain player has been suspended for the year or hurt or something similar.

I've been threatened by many of the topics introduced in this class this semester, but this is not one of them. I think I'm safe. And I'll stick to experts for my articles.