CNN recently launched ireport.com dedicated for user produced news. This has taken blogging and user involvement to a new level.
CNN executives acknowledge that iReport.com’s openness is something of a departure for a news organization that prides itself on accuracy and editorial judgment. But iReports have become increasingly popular, and in many cases have even proved beneficial in the reporting of breaking news. Some of the most compelling footage from last April’s shootings on the Virginia Tech campus came from the 420 user-generated video clips CNN received, while last year’s California wildfires yielded more than 11,000 submissions.
Ethics and content values in this experiment have to be evaluated but it this exercise will no doubt reflect the society’s demand for the kind of news they want to hear/see.
