Citizen journalism. There is so much to be said about being in the right place at the right time with a camera, and kudos to Mr. Krums for the amazing picture (taken with an iphone apparently), and the sense to post it on Twitter.
I have no reason to think that in this case the image was manipulated. But with all the attention this is getting, and with the use of this by some to trumpet the advantages of citizen “journalism,” vigilance must be the watchword if we rely too much on eyewitness reports (visual or otherwise) as journalism. Besides authenticity, we must remember that mere reporting of something alone isn’t journalism. It’s for that reason the editor in chief at The Gazette said recently that stories like that in his paper won’t EARN a byline.
What Mr. Krums did no doubt was a service to the public and journalism, especially since the image seems not to have been altered. But it served the public well by adding to the number of sources who witnessed the event, which will help with the analysis of that event. The analysis and making sense of something through multiple sources and points of view; now that’s journalism.
January 16th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Good food for thought, Phil.
Here’s a random businesslike reply…..did the citizen journalist get paid? I saw this shot on the Washington Post’s homepage. That’s worth a few hundred dollars to a professional freelance newsphotographer!
January 16th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
[...] Carpenter, a Gazette photographer who recently started his own blog, points out that journalists who just repeat something they’ve heard (say, by rewriting a press release) [...]
January 16th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
These are very lucky people.
Snowflake shapes
January 17th, 2009 at 4:06 am
That’s the other thing eh? Have you ever heard of CNN’s ireporter or something of the sort?
January 17th, 2009 at 7:14 am
At about the two minute mark you can see US Air Flight 1549 skid into the Hudson. Then, you can see the passengers climb out onto the wings. This video is 10 minutes long. Actual video of Flight 1549 skidding into the Hudson.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
lol!! spunds like a familiar conversation…….
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Living down here, I often see CNN go to their iReports and iReporters. SO frustrating. Maybe the difference is in the word: A reporter is just that. They REPORT what happened. A JOURNALIST provides analysis and context and insight. We work for it and do a valuable service to the public. CNN going to the general public for their reports, without the context, etc. is LAZY and unbecoming of such a huge news network.