I-Report
Encyclopedia
iReport is CNN
's citizen journalism
initiative that allows people from around the globe to contribute pictures and video of breaking news stories from their own towns and neighborhood. It is similar to Wikinews
in that it allows, and encourages, regular citizens to submit stories, photos and videos related to any breaking news. Submissions are not edited, fact-checked, or screened. The program was launched on August 2, 2006 to take advantage of the newsgathering capabilities of citizens at the scene of notable events. iReport grew out of another related program: CNN's Fan Zone, which allowed viewers to contribute pictures and video from the 2006 FIFA World Cup
in Germany.
Two events in particular highlighted the necessity of showcasing viewer-submitted content during news shows. The tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and the 7/7 bombings in London gave citizen journalists at the scene the opportunity to report on the events as they experienced them. Pictures from both were difficult to obtain in the moments after each tragedy. Broadcast news outlets, depending on agency or bureau video, were fortunate to receive submissions from people on the scene. Developing this format became a necessity for cable and network news shows.
As of March 2011, there were 750,000 registered iReport members. The success of iReport has been utilized for specific programs, like the 2007 New Year's Eve
coverage featuring iParty in which viewers' photos of their celebrations were shown on television. CNN producers also regularly provide "assignments," for possible inclusion in upcoming coverage.
onto the international stage. On April 16, 2007, video submitted by graduate student Jamal Albarghouti captured the sounds of gunfire during the Virginia Tech massacre
. CNN paid Albarghouti an undisclosed amount for the exclusive rights to the video he shot on his mobile phone. The immediacy of the pictures demonstrated the potential for such content.
Then on August 1, 2007, one day before the first anniversary of the program, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, again dramatized the potential for this content. Many of the earliest pictures and eyewitness accounts were submitted to iReport.
In 2008, iReport generated controversy for a false report about Steve Job's health, which caused Apple's stock to temporarily drop.
Mobile Application Development
companies independent of major news corporations have also developed apps which are similar to iReport.
airs "iReport for CNN." An interactive, international weekly half-hour TV program showcasing the most entertaining, newsworthy and unique iReport contributions and citizen journalism reports on the internet. The show airs Saturdays at 1230 GMT and 2300 GMT; Sundays at 1900 GMT; and Mondays at 1400 GMT and is hosted by Errol Barnett
.
Shows can be watched on its CNN show page.
"News to Me
" features the week's best viewer-submitted content, along with other videos supplied by Blip.tv, Jumpcut.com, and Revver.com. It airs on CNN's Headline News, Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET and 5:30 p.m. ET.
In the early going this site was useful as it presented the work of amateur journalists striving to present news. More recently, however, it has become something of a personal soapbox as well, a sort of venue for personal expression.
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's citizen journalism
Citizen journalism
Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information...
initiative that allows people from around the globe to contribute pictures and video of breaking news stories from their own towns and neighborhood. It is similar to Wikinews
Wikinews
Wikinews is a free-content news source wiki and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. The site works through collaborative journalism. Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has distinguished Wikinews from Wikipedia by saying "on Wikinews, each story is to be written as a news story as opposed to an...
in that it allows, and encourages, regular citizens to submit stories, photos and videos related to any breaking news. Submissions are not edited, fact-checked, or screened. The program was launched on August 2, 2006 to take advantage of the newsgathering capabilities of citizens at the scene of notable events. iReport grew out of another related program: CNN's Fan Zone, which allowed viewers to contribute pictures and video from the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany.
Two events in particular highlighted the necessity of showcasing viewer-submitted content during news shows. The tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
and the 7/7 bombings in London gave citizen journalists at the scene the opportunity to report on the events as they experienced them. Pictures from both were difficult to obtain in the moments after each tragedy. Broadcast news outlets, depending on agency or bureau video, were fortunate to receive submissions from people on the scene. Developing this format became a necessity for cable and network news shows.
As of March 2011, there were 750,000 registered iReport members. The success of iReport has been utilized for specific programs, like the 2007 New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
coverage featuring iParty in which viewers' photos of their celebrations were shown on television. CNN producers also regularly provide "assignments," for possible inclusion in upcoming coverage.
Notable events
Although iReport proved popular from its inception, one event in particular catapulted such citizen journalismCitizen journalism
Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information...
onto the international stage. On April 16, 2007, video submitted by graduate student Jamal Albarghouti captured the sounds of gunfire during the Virginia Tech massacre
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
. CNN paid Albarghouti an undisclosed amount for the exclusive rights to the video he shot on his mobile phone. The immediacy of the pictures demonstrated the potential for such content.
Then on August 1, 2007, one day before the first anniversary of the program, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, again dramatized the potential for this content. Many of the earliest pictures and eyewitness accounts were submitted to iReport.
In 2008, iReport generated controversy for a false report about Steve Job's health, which caused Apple's stock to temporarily drop.
CNN iReport Awards
In 2011, CNN held the first iReport Awards, with awards being given for seven categories: Breaking news, Personal story, Compelling imagery, Commentary, Original reporting, Interview, and Community Choice. There were also five "Spirit Honorees."iReport.com
In January 2008 CNN acquired Ireport.com and I-report.com for $750,000. A beta version of the site launched on Wednesday, February 13, 2008. The site, which had its complete launch in March 2008, allows users to submit media and have it instantly appear on the site. CNN Producers will then go through the online submission and select reports for possible airing on the CNN television networks, CNN.com and other CNN platforms. The site also allows iReporters to contact each other. The site functions similar to YouTube and popular social networking sites.New York Times Buzzword
The New York Times described the word "I-reporter" as one of 2007's buzzwords: a word which endured long enough to find a place in the national conversation.Competitors
The popularity of CNN's iReport program has inspired a number of similar initiatives by other broadcast news organizations.- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
: i-CaughtI-Caughti-CAUGHT is an ABC News newsmagazine program hosted by Bill Weir which ran from August 7 to September 11, 2007 at 10:00 PM ET. Originally a midseason project, the series aired during the Summer and briefly aired in Australia on the Nine Network.... - FoxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
: uReport - MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
: FirstPerson - Al JazeeraAl JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
: Your Media - Broadcast Interactive Media: YouNews
Mobile Application Development
Mobile application development
Mobile application development is the process by which application software is developed for small low-power handheld devices such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones...
companies independent of major news corporations have also developed apps which are similar to iReport.
- Posterboard
- MeporterMeporterMeporter is a citizen journalist mobile phone application that uses geolocation and multimedia to create hyperlocal, real-time news. It allows users to post news with headlines, text, videos, and images using their smartphone to the Meporter database and to the Meporter website...
- hereMe!
- 360 News
Shows
CNN InternationalCNN International
CNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
airs "iReport for CNN." An interactive, international weekly half-hour TV program showcasing the most entertaining, newsworthy and unique iReport contributions and citizen journalism reports on the internet. The show airs Saturdays at 1230 GMT and 2300 GMT; Sundays at 1900 GMT; and Mondays at 1400 GMT and is hosted by Errol Barnett
Errol Barnett
Errol Barnett is an anchor and correspondent for CNN International. While initially based at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, since August of 2010 he has been anchoring 'Prism' at the networks production hub in Abu Dhabi. The one-hour news program has focused on the Arab Uprising...
.
Shows can be watched on its CNN show page.
"News to Me
News to Me
News To Me was an American television program on HLN weekends hosted by Emmy award winning talent, Eric Lanford."News To Me" was canceled in March, 2009 after two years on the air. It had formerly been broadcast Saturday at 7:30PM & 9:30PM ET. Sunday at 12:30AM, 5:30AM, 7:30PM & 9:30PM ET. ...
" features the week's best viewer-submitted content, along with other videos supplied by Blip.tv, Jumpcut.com, and Revver.com. It airs on CNN's Headline News, Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET and 5:30 p.m. ET.
In the early going this site was useful as it presented the work of amateur journalists striving to present news. More recently, however, it has become something of a personal soapbox as well, a sort of venue for personal expression.