In Harm's Way?
As was the case yesterday and will be the case for days, the dominant story by far is the disastrous inferno in Southern California. One million residents are being evacuated for their own safety, and the images from the scene are heart-wrenching and hypnotic – including the videos supplied to media organs by citizens with handheld cameras or cellphones.
This morning on CNN, "CNN Newsroom" anchor Tony Harris showcased some video sent in by viewers – footage that CNN calls "i-reports" – adding "We should say it every time and we do, please, don't put yourself in harm's way to send us i-reports!"
Along similiar lines, the current New York Observer features an interesting sign-of-the-times-type piece about how mainstream reporters – and they don't get more mainstream than the New York Times-- are trying to establish their names as 'brands.'
At one time the whole appeal of the life of the young journalist was that you could happily slip into one world, and then slip out into another; to start out writing about the Vatican and find yourself, years later, reviewing restaurants. And if you were good enough, you got yourself a late-career sinecure that was the love of your life. First came the work, then came the brand…So some journalists are self-promoters. This is not news. We media consumers have grown accustomed to the camera-hungry Kent Brockman media types. But what about people who aspire to be journalists? They're even more desperate for a 'branding' opportunity, wherever one might be.It used to be okay for, say, salespeople or career coaches to establish Me Inc.
But in the past couple years, journalism seems to have steeled its palate for the rotten taste of personal marketing.
Case in point: Jamal Albarghouti.
Albarghouti, a Virginia Tech student, was essentially deputized to be a de facto correspondent as soon as he sent in "i-report" footage of the Blacksburg campus following the shooting rampage earlier this year. Just take a look at a website devoted to him and named after him. How is he described? As a student? Or a survivor? Nah. Just "Jamal Albarghouti -- The Guy who shot iReport video of the Virginia Tech Massacre." How's that for a brand?
Then there was the case of the photographer who got his foot run over by Britney Spears, as he tried to build his reputation and name among the showbiz set.
Injuries (and worse) happen to accredited journalists everyday -- from the dangerous streets of Baghdad to the driveways in Hollywood. And it's safe to assume that many practicing journalists take a lot of precautions that might not occur to a 'citizen journalist' who sees something newsworthy and chases it.
So we've got a national disaster occurring in California – and extremely dangerous scenes constantly breaking out worldwide. Add to that, news networks dangling opportunities for citizen journalists to receive their 15 minutes of fame. Then on top of that there are aspiring journalists – or just people who want to see themselves on TV – tempted to get close to dangerous situations.
Put it all together and it's a dangerous mix, leading towards someone getting hurt while chasing amateur footage. Is something unfortunate going to befall someone in the next few days? Hopefully not. I know I'm not the worlds biggest cheerleader when it comes to so-called "citizen journalism," but I believe this is a scenario that will eventually play out.
And we – both the media and news consumers – need to figure out how we will deal with that when it happens.