No good deed goes unpunished. Take for example the following video. We’ll let you watch it before we tell you anymore…
While the video itself is a spoof, the unsuspecting gent who finds himself on the wrong side of the law for kidnapping the Queen’s royal Corgis isn’t in on the prank (ahead of time anyway). The video was created by a new citizen journalism news site called “The News Hub” which allows people anywhere to upload videos, stories, photos, and pretty much anything else that they view as news worthy. In the case of the above video, it’s more breaking balls than breaking news, but it sparks an interesting question about the state of journalism in the modern era. Who needs a journalism degree when you have a camera phone?
If you’re anything like us then you’ve noticed the steady decline of the mainstream media and their ability to actually inform the general public about news worthy events. Every story these days seems to be so chock full of bias that it’s hard to digest. The hope is that with The News Hub, information will be returned to the people and not controlled by a few media conglomerates. Contributors will be in line to be paid if the content they provide is ranked in the top 10% of stories that month. That isn’t the top 10% of popularity, but rather the top 10% of news-worthy, influential content.
While we like the idea, we are a bit skeptical of how sources will be vetted and facts will be checked. In most cases, they probably won’t be. So while the avenue exists for people in worn torn countries to report from the front lines, or for professional or novice photographers & videographers to share their captivating work, the possibility also exists for angry fans to slander their least favorite actor or fake news enthusiasts to have another venue to dupe others. Will the site be used responsibly or with malice? Only time will tell but the message from The News Hub in the video is clear: This is the digital age and people should be prepared to record news with their video camera, camera, or words, wherever and whenever they see it breaking.
