The Problem With Crowd-Sourced Reporting, in One Short Viral Video
It struck me that this illustrates in microcosm both the advantages and the problems of crowd-sourced media. True, someone is there when this weird and unusual mini-event happens…But then he or she doesn’t follow up. If Mike Plews* had been taking that, you can bet he would have wiped off the lens, showed the aftermath, and…well, reported. Were people laughing, and unhurt? Hurt, and crying out? Did the train stop and board passengers, or pass through? Snow can stop trains—did it stop this one?
Reporting wouldn’t leave you asking basic questions.
*A TOP reader and commenter who’s a longtime TV news cameraman, if you don’t recognize the name.
theonlinephotographer.typepad.com
I think Mike hit’s a vital nail on the head here. That lack of follow up leaves us unsure of what the magnitude of a story really is and even, often times, it’s truth.
On a more personal level, it’s a reminder that one can not be blissfully ignorant of the world about you. Life itself can bite you when you least expect it. As Mike notes as well, I hope that no one was injured by that much flying snow.