OhmyNews International

A perfect example of the importance of journalists presented itself in my hometown of Elbert County, Colo., this week.

A water district was seeking approval of an expansion plan that would allow it to export hundreds of millions of gallons of water out of Elbert County.

The proposal was expected to be voted upon by the county commissioners on Wednesday, Aug. 24. About a 1,000 concerned citizens reportedly showed up at that meeting to voice their opposition. Instead, however, they received the news that the request had been withdrawn – at least temporarily.

According to a news report in The Denver Post on Aug. 25, Elbert County residents for weeks had been questioning “the speed with which the proposal was being considered and the secrecy surrounding it. Little, if anything, was posted on the county website. Some residents said the only information they could find was in newspaper reports.”

Did you catch that last point? Residents didn’t learn about the water district’s plans by looking on the county website. They had to rely on newspaper reports for their information.

This situation reinforces what I’ve always believed. Journalists – whether professionals or citizens – are crucial to keeping our society informed and our government in check.

Susan Cormier is the co-author of the “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” (http://www.citizenjournalistnow.com/om).

Cyndy Green of Video Journalism is just like me. When she hears of a major news item, she goes straight to YouTube to find videos of it. With the recent East Coast quake, she was frustrated at the lack of actual earthquake footage. It was mostly people reporting how they felt. But a (IMO) hilarious sideshow is the fake earthquake video phenomenon.

youtube nation… (Video Journalism)

The rebels are closing in on Tripoli to overthrow Gadaffi. The mainstream news sources are about as in the dark as everyone else. The best sources for information on the fly are on the ground through citizen postings. Global Voices Online is collecting these postings on blogs and social networks to keep everyone current on what’s going on.

Post any updates you have found in the comments.

Lybia Uprising 2011 (Global Voices Online)

Large news organizations have a problem–they’re large. In this largeness, it’s difficult to make sure everyone understands what the rules are, particularly in the copyright department. If a video or picture goes viral, the news organization would run it and attribute it to YouTube or Twitter without giving credit to the person who actually created the media. They’re attributing it to the platform as if it was a content creator.

Online Journalism Blog looks into this issue in detail.

When will we stop saying “Pictures from Twitter” and “Video from YouTube”? (Online Journalism Blog)

The collapse of the stage at the Indiana State Fair was widely reported through citizen sources. LiveLeak has been one of the outlets, focusing on the tragedy and its aftermath.

NOTE: The video is shocking.

Tom Watson writes at The Sidney Hillman Foundation about how people have blamed mobile and social media for helping the London riots. Yet those technologies have also helped citizens report on the riots. He considers this even the “perfect laboratory” for citizen journalists, pointing to the riot maps that sprang up on the internet.

Citizen Journalists Capture Rage of London Riots (The Sidney Hillman Foundation)

Keith Flett of France 24 has posted some citizen video of the London riots in his piece “Observer in London: riots ‘weren’t completely unexpected.’”

If you have any links to citizen videos, photos or reports of the London riots, post them below.

It’s a bit dated (May 26th), but it’s still relevant. With the increasing violence against protesters in Syria and a continued government-imposed media blackout, we are really getting our information from citizen journalists in Syria. They’re a major source. Just look at any story on Syria and likely the video and photos were taken by citizen journalists.

So read this piece on citizen journalists in Syria by Natacha Yazbeck at Ma’an News Agency to get a better picture of how they’re working there.

Citizen journalism keeps Syria uprising alive (Ma’an News Agency)

Thorough reporting is essential to writing a complete news article, so don’t forget to ask the five Ws and how.

Who? Who did what to whom? Who was or who will be involved?

What? What did they do or what do they plan to do?

Why? Why did they do it or why are they planning to do this?

When? When did it happen or when will it occur? Be specific. If it is something that will happen over time, give the starting and end dates. If it is a one-day event, give the specific time and the date. If it already happened, the time and date should be readily available.

Where? Where did they do it or where will it happen? Again, be specific. Your readers will want more than your city or town. They’ll want the address or general location.

How? How did it or how will it happen?

Let’s say you are covering a government entity’s construction project. You’ll need to ask: Who is doing the construction? What are they building? Why are they building it? When will the construction happen? Where will the construction take place? And finally, how much will the project cost?

Don’t stop there. While the answers to these questions are crucial, they often don’t answer all the inquiries your readers may have. And sometimes the answers you receive generate additional questions you need to ask.

In this example, you asked about the cost of the project. But you also need to ask how the project will be funded and how many people will be employed.

When you are done asking your questions, ask your source if there is any supplemental information he or she would like to add. You might be surprised to learn they are using new, innovative techniques your readers will want to know about.

Susan Cormier is the co-author of the “Handbook for Citizen Journalists,” which can be purchased as an e-book at http://www.citizenjournalistnow.com/.

CNN’s citizen journalism system, iReport, turned five years old this week. According to director Lila King, in the past five years citizen journalism has become the core source for breaking news at CNN. Poynter has an interview with King.