Citizen Journalism Tools Flow Up To The Pros
Citizen journalism via cellphone has gotten a big push lately, particularly in the aftermath of events in London. Media outlets have set up avenues for people to submit their mobile-phone photos and videos, and services have even been launched to act as brokers to sell user media to news outlets (though they’re having a hard time). Now comes word that instead of professional journalism and its tools trickling down to citizens, things flow the other way, too, as ABC’s online brand, News Now, is outfitting some of its reporters with high-end cameraphones to gather video and images. The handset’s “VHS-quality” video and 2-megapixel camera are apparently sufficient for the online news channel, which, interestingly, is also available for viewing on mobile phones.
