Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Virginia Tech tragedy

Phone camera reports blur line

Witnesses' videos can create ethical questions for news organizations.

By ERIC DEGGANS
Published April 18, 2007

He was the undisputed star of CNN's newscast Monday. And he hadn't even finished college.

The cell phone video provided by Virginia Tech student Jamal Albarghouti re-created the horror of the shooting rampage that left 32 people dead - with jittery footage of people running, gunshots cracking in the distance.

Later, Albarghouti stood in front of a CNN camera holding a microphone like a correspondent. He also described his experiences on Larry King Live, and anchors urged viewers to send more material.

But was that an indirect message: Head to the crime scene and get us something juicy?

"I would certainly hope we're not encouraging people to do what he did," said Jonathan Klein, CNN U.S. president, noting the online video attracted more than 2-million views by Tuesday morning.

From the video of former Seinfeld star Michael Richards loosing the n-word on stage to images of bombs falling in a Lebanon neighborhood last year, TV coverage of big news is increasingly bolstered by material from the general public.

CNN's I-Reports initiative, encouraging viewers to provide material online, drew about 120 submissions Monday, Klein said. Fox News offers "Ureport," while ABC has "Be Seen Be Heard" - all encouraging viewers to submit material for possible use with news broadcasts.

At Fox News, a Ureport clip taken by a student Monday showed the muzzle flash from a gun. "Part of you thinks, 'Are these people crazy to do something like this?' said Jay Wallace, executive producer of news for the channel.

In breaking news situations, verification often amounts to little more than calling back the cell phone of those who provide material to verify their identity, Wallace said. "Video of something that happened two hours ago, it would be tough for someone to fake something ... so there's probably a little leap of faith there," he added.

But some ethicists caution against calling such submissions "citizen journalism," saying such a title bestows credibility on contributors they haven't earned.

"We might use what people videotape or observe ... but then we verify it," said Bob Steele, an instructor on journalism ethics at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, which owns the St. Petersburg Times. "I'm waiting for the hoax in this story; someone who says, 'I shot this on my cell phone,' and later we find out the video was altered."

Indeed, the roles of all involved can blur: Was Albarghouti acting as a correspondent during his CNN appearances, or just submitting to a long-distance interview? Are those who pass along photos and text messages just providing tips in a new way, or actually acting as journalists?

"We don't call it blurring - it's like adding to our fact-finding," said Michael Clemente, senior executive producer for ABC News digital media. He cited the way former congressional pages provided text messages to expose former Florida congressman Mark Foley's explicit conversations with them.

CNN showed video from another student Tuesday depicting police in assault gear running past his dorm shouting warnings. But Klein resisted the idea that such material alone might outline the future of TV journalism.

"Jamal's video ... raised more questions than it answered," he said.

[Last modified April 18, 2007, 02:42:34]