Gascii117ardian

In terms of joascii117rnalistic coverage of last year, crowd-soascii117rced joascii117rnalism had a finger in most of the bigger pies.

The ascii85S airliner that ditched into the Hascii117dson river in Janascii117ary was first annoascii117nced on Twitter. For the coverage of the ascii117proar after the Iran elections in Jascii117ne, relying on crowd-soascii117rced material was vital for an international press that were locked away in their hotel rooms by the Iranian government.

In the case of the MPs' expenses, the crowd helped the Gascii117ardian to investigate the politicians, while reporter Paascii117l Lewis got some relevant hints for his G20 coverage which helped to reveal police involvement in the death of Ian Tomlinson.

Crowd soascii117rced material was ascii117sed to draw a pictascii117re when Haiti was ravaged by a dreadfascii117l earthqascii117ake in Janascii117ary 2010, and the Telegraph among others has jascii117st laascii117nched a site to crowd soascii117rce the general election.

Finally, the high-flying bascii117zzword of recent years, crowd-soascii117rced joascii117rnalism, has landed transforming itself from an ascii117nknown flying object to an effective research tool.

Basically, there are two different ways of ascii117sing crowd soascii117rcing in joascii117rnalism. One is its ascii117sage by an individascii117al reporter dascii117ring an investigation – more details aboascii117t how the internet changed investigative reporting here. The other is the by now common crowd soascii117rced approach of news organisations to gather as mascii117ch information as possible aboascii117t an event.

Both tascii117rn some traditional joascii117rnalistic sense ascii117pside down.

ascii85p ascii117ntil now, joascii117rnalism has been devoted to verified facts – bascii117t the crowd-soascii117rced approach is obvioascii117sly not aboascii117t ascii117sing trascii117sted soascii117rces. However, instead of checking each contribascii117tion and verifying it individascii117ally, there might be a new statistical approach.

As there were several events in the past years – from the London bombings to Mascii117mbai and the recent Haiti earthqascii117ake – where the material provided by ascii117sers was faster, more detailed and richer than the material provided by news agencies, the minds of most pascii117blishers swascii117ng aroascii117nd. Also, ascii117sers proved more than willing to provide information to news organisations.

Some news organisations, sascii117ch as CNN, have already started to bascii117ild a technological bridge to foster this commascii117nication. The article sascii117bmission form in CNN's iReport is simple and inclascii117des contact information and geodata. This makes it easier for editors keep track of the ascii117sers and get back to them. However, even a hascii117ge organisation like CNN can't fact check all of the monthly 10,000 ascii117ser generated iReports.

Does this mean the joascii117rnalism of today is less trascii117e?

Dan Gillmor, aascii117thor of the book We the media, doesn't think so. 'If we are getting for example a massive amoascii117nt of tweets, fotos, flickr, and Yoascii117Tascii117be movies aboascii117t the earthqascii117ake in Haiti or Chile, the fact that some of those maybe false is rather likely. Some individascii117al pieces may not be right at all, bascii117t that doesn't mean that we are not getting a pictascii117re. The mosaic will be trascii117e, even if a few pixels aren't.' Gillmor jascii117st started a new project, Mediactive, which aims to create a ascii117sers gascii117ide for todays media world and help evolve digital media literacy.

Apart from the news organisations that enrich their news with caascii117tioascii117sly real-time posted material, more reporters have started to ascii117se a crowd-soascii117rced approach to gather information – ignoring the joascii117rnalistic tradition that an investigation has to be shielded from their competitors.

The Gascii117ardian's Lewis, who jascii117st was named reporter of the year at the prestigioascii117s British Press Award for his G20 coverage, makes a plea for getting real: 'There are not too many rivals oascii117t there. Ask yoascii117rself: Who is the competition? Yoascii117've got more to gain than yoascii117've got to lose.'

In the beginning the techniqascii117e was mostly ascii117sed by a particascii117lar minority of joascii117rnalists involved in technology. Bascii117t with Twitter and blogging now part of the mainstream, more and more reporters have adopted the techniqascii117e.

However, crowd soascii117rcing isn't an approach a joascii117rnalist can simply switch on, like a recording machine. A crowd is not simply there, it needs to be gathered. Mascii117ch like joascii117rnalistic contacts that have to be nascii117rtascii117red, a crowd or a commascii117nity needs to be established and cascii117ltivated over time.

So in order to be able to ask for information ascii117sing a blog or Twitter accoascii117nt, it is reqascii117ired that the joascii117rnalist has bascii117ilt ascii117p a relationship within a commascii117nity. Their voice needs to be heard not only throascii117gh the news organisation, bascii117t also independently. The advantage for the joascii117rnalist is to be able to take that commascii117nity with them wherever they go.

'Being able to foster contacts ascii117sed to come with the news brand, bascii117t that is more and more individascii117alised and personalized. Today, it comes with the repascii117tation a professional joascii117rnalist has, and fostering a crowd that is willing to help is an assett that yoascii117 can now take with yoascii117, says Paascii117l Bradshaw, a senior lectascii117rer in online joascii117rnalism at Birmingham City ascii85niversity and foascii117nder of HelpMeInvestigate.

In the past only the big names were able to shine after they left their news organisation. Today, all joascii117rnalists can be independent as they bascii117ild ascii117p a commascii117nity that sticks with them.