US: Virginia Tech tragedy reveals growth of CitJ
Indeed, CNN’s citizen journalism I-Report feature was swarmed with cell phone pictures and video from on-campus students. Not only that, these ‘reports’ got plenty of time on air.
One of the videos posted on the CNN website, in which you could hear the sound of gunshots, got over 120,000 hits within the day.
“What struck one as really remarkable about CNNs coverage, however, is that it didn’t really have any on-the-ground coverage of its own,” writes Philip Stone for Follow the Media.
CNN had no reporter on the ground during most of its coverage, which relied importantly on the students’ reports. Another change in the reporting process: CNN consistently quoted Associated Press for the number of casualties, though it couldn’t confirm them itself, a practice it had avoided in the past.
There were also on-campus students who blogged about the event from the start, and the college newspaper produced continuous online updates of the story.
Tragically, the Virgina Tech killings brought light onto the evolution of citizen journalism and traditional media coverage in the US.
Source: Follow the Media
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I'm not really sure why this took so late for implementation, especially as Andrew Marr was talking it up in the early 90's as Editor of "The Independent": the irony, is, of course, that this was eventually the first paper to make the leap and it paid off substantially. I was always maintaining (against heavy resistance) too that this was the way forward.
I enjoy being in Europe immensely and reading the papers; design layout is much more accessable in the Berliner formats (such as the New Guardian). Now that newspaper are starting to go this way though, it doesn't bode well for those who refuse to make the leap - broadsheets, instead of giving the impression of serious, high-culture publications will give the impression of being somewhat out-of-date, which is detrimental to any product but particularly so with a newspaper which pertains to be in the very moment of news-making.
Newspapers are undoubtedly starting to respond to website design too in the ajustments (where the layout is similar), and it will be intersting to see how they can make the leap next into interactivity.
I would like to suggest to you that these changes are part of a strategy that is being formed by all newspapers to cope with decreasing circulation and readership figures, due to the public turning to new media such as the internet or even wap services on their phone. I understand there is a number of factors other than new technology, but I find it odd that many newspapers have changed their formats at an age where the internet and television is being shown as the most popular source for news. If any one has any ideas or comments on this I would love to hear off them.. email me on l_pothecary@hotmail.com