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Who Needs CNN?

Citizen journalists capture Mumbai story without bureaucratic headaches

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 30, 2008 9:47 AM CST
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(Newser) – Witnesses of the Mumbai terror attacks didn’t wait for CNN to get information: They captured it themselves, the New York Times reports, the latest example of citizen journalists using technology to put themselves on the frontlines of news. “I felt I had a responsibility to share my view with the outside world,” said one witness from Boston.

Twitter, a short-messaging service, proved especially popular with users because “you get feeds from many different people at the same time,” an analyst noted. Citizen journalists also weren’t hamstrung by the responsibilities of old media: When CNN’s license to broadcast live in India expired Friday, witnesses continued uploading photos on Flickr and transmitting video from their cellphones to TV networks.

Some witnesses of the Mumbai attacks transmitted video from inside the Taj hotel to news networks via cellphones.
Some witnesses of the Mumbai attacks transmitted video from inside the Taj hotel to news networks via cellphones.   (Shutter Stock)
The attacks in India served as another case study in how technology is transforming people into potential reporters, adding a new dimension to the news media.
The attacks in India served as another case study in how technology is transforming people into potential reporters, adding a new dimension to the news media.   (Shutter Stock)
I felt I had a responsibility to share my view with the outside world, said one citizen journalist.
"I felt I had a responsibility to share my view with the outside world," said one citizen journalist.   (Shutter Stock)
At the peak of the violence, more than one message per second with the word CMumbai in it was being posted on Twitter, a short-message service.
At the peak of the violence, more than one message per second with the word "CMumbai" in it was being posted on Twitter, a short-message service.   (AP Photo)
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