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In order to complete this experiment of ‘citizen journalism,’ I tried to imagine how a citizen would go about getting a story. I only gave myself a few hours to complete the experiment because, after all, news is timely and most ordinary people wouldn’t have a lot of time to complete a story. My results were just about what I expected; the only worthwhile ‘citizen journalism’ comes at unexpected times.

When we think of ‘citizen journalists’ we think of the shocking video out of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, or the cell phone video from Saddam Hussein’s execution. We do not think of someone shooting video of pot holes on local streets (See above video!). The brilliance of ‘citizen journalism’ is that it catches the unexpected. The downfall of it is that it isn’t sufficient for reliable coverage.

Television stations can not be everywhere at a moments notice, which is what makes ‘citizen journalism’ so valuable in some situations. One thing I have learned in the news business is to “expect the unexpected.” The problem is that we can not always be at the unexpected by simply snapping our fingers. “Citizen journalists’ can be anywhere at a given moment, like at a local fire last year, which provides us with astonishing pictures that would otherwise never be seen.

Although ‘citizen journalists’ can sometimes bring us the most compelling footage, it is always associated with a compelling or historic story. When it comes to telling the story of sub-par streets in Lawrence, people will not accept the above footage on the news. ‘Citizen Journalism’ is only as good as the phenomenon that it covers.