By Steve Rubel
Expert Author
Article Date: 2004-11-15
The BBC reports that on-the-spot citizen snappers are helping newspapers add immediacy to their breaking news stories headlines, where professional photographers only arrive in time for the aftermath.
"Celebrities might not welcome such a change because they may never be free of a new breed of mobile phone paparazzi making their lives a bit more difficult.
Already one tabloid newspaper in LA is issuing photographers with camera phones to help them catch celebrities at play.
It could be the start of a trend that only increases as higher resolution phone cameras become more widespread; as video phones catch on and millions of people start carrying the gadgets around.
[...] But this is not just about traditional media lending immediacy to their stories with content from ordinary people, it is also about first-hand journalism in the form of online diaries or weblogs.
It has been called "open source news" or even "moblog journalism" and it has flourished in the recent US election campaign. "
(Via Picturephoning)
About the Author: Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
