ITV

Tag: ireport@cnn.com

  • User generated content builds on CNN

    MUMBAI: When news broadcaster CNN first invited its global audience to submit their own pictures and video of the news of the day via cell phones, cameras and other devices, the first i-Reports offered included a photograph of bomb damage in Israel, a portrait of a U.S. soldier in Iraq and an image of a squirrel coping with a heat wave in the U.S. Midwest.

    One year later, CNN’s i-Report has garnered more than 50,000 submissions from 189 countries and territories around the world, ranging from compelling to light-hearted to tragic to amazing. CNN’s citizen journalism initiative now pulls in an average of about 7,000 i-Reports each month.

    CNN Worldwide executive VP content development and strategy Susan M. Bunda says, “With i-Report, CNN tapped into the needs and desires of its audience to express a deeper connection to the news they get from our networks and services each and every day. Our i-Reporters have exceeded our expectations in regards to the sheer number and quality of submissions.”

    Launched in August 2006, CNN’s i-Reports experienced growth within the first few months as both on-air and online audiences found a new way to express themselves and to share their own observations about CNN news coverage and events around the world. Hundreds submitted i-Reports after Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin died in September 2006. Later that month, when a coup in Thailand attempted to halt the flow of information with the shutdown of the national media, i-Reports ensured that photographs and text were seen by the rest of the world.

    CNN adds that its i-Report created an impression upon viewers on the morning of the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy in April, particularly when graduate student Jamal Albarghouti captured dramatic video on his cell phone. CNN received about 420 submissions within 24 hours of the incident, and more than 600 in total.

    More recently, users shared their video, images and thoughts after the bridge collapse in Minneapolis on 1 August. To date, CNN has received more than 600 i-Reports related to that incident.

    In addition to CNN/U.S. and CNN.com, networks and services across CNN Worldwide employ the submissions on a regular basis. CNN International and CNN en Español made extensive use of user-generated materials for coverage of recent protests in Venezuela. Taking the i-Reports as a cue, Headline News developed the first cable news program comprised of user-generated video with News To Me. Launched in May and hosted by award-winning actor/producer Eric Lanford, News to Me airs on Headline News each Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (ET).

    Viewers submit i-Report material through a “Send Your i-Report” link at CNN.com or by e-mail at ireport@cnn.com. Submitted material undergoes the same extensive vetting process CNN employs for all content that goes on air or online.

  • CNN.com showcases the power of citizen journalism

    CNN.com showcases the power of citizen journalism

    MUMBAI: CNN.com has announced the launch of “CNN Exchange,” a comprehensive user-generated content destination that features user-submitted video, audio, articles and graphics and also allows users to interact directly with the site’s news reports, commentaries and polls.

    CNN.com senior VP, executive producer Mitch Gelman says ,”User-generated content has the potential to play a pivotal role in journalism whether it’s online or offline. With CNN Exchange, we’ve essentially created a one-stop shop for CNN.com users to share their contributions with other Internet users, as well as to weigh in on the day’s most pressing news.”

    Located at www.CNN.com/Exchange, CNN Exchange organizes all of CNN.com’s user-generated content features into a single, easy-to-navigate catalog. The page includes a spotlight section featuring the best user contributions; a section featuring CNN.com’s Web logs, including the popular Anderson Cooper 360° Blog; sections for polls, commentaries and links to other “citizen journalism” sites; and an online toolkit with tips from CNN producers, correspondents and photographers on creating and submitting stories.

    Extending user-generated content across multiple platforms, CNN Exchange will be populated in large part by I-Reports, compelling content captured by CNN viewers with personal cell phones, cameras or other devices. This access will enable viewers to tell the world what is happening where they are through the reach of CNN’s television networks and CNN.com.

    Users can submit material wherever they find a “Send Your I-Report” link at CNN.com or by e-mail at ireport@cnn.com. Submissions will be considered for all of CNN’s networks. All submitted material will be reviewed by CNN prior to publication online or on air.