Cheap (free) news images

[Kym]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226180944107

HAVE you ever taken a photo, shot a video or had a story you wanted to share with the world?

The Advertiser's new smartphone app makes it easy to send your photos, videos and news tips to us on the move.

The NewsForce app is officially launched today and gives users the opportunity to have their content published in The Advertiser, on AdelaideNow or in the Sunday Mail.

The app is available as a free download for iPhones in the iTunes App Store, and for Android handsets in the Android Market.

The Advertiser Editor Melvin Mansell said the app allowed readers to feel more connected with the news by contributing photos and videos of issues and events that interest them.

... more in the link above.

So does this sort of trend devalue photography (and journalism for that matter) or just make news better covered?
Not that news.com.au journalism is all that valuable

[ricktas]

I don't think it devalues photography as as much as it devalues good quality journalism. Sadly the biase of our News Agencies is reflected back as journalists are not longer regarded as people of integrity, but rather an mechanisms to push the agenda of the News organisation as a whole. The effect of Mr Murdoch's phone tapping scandal for instance.

I think people are fed up with being given information under the guise of journalistic reporting, when it is really pushing an agenda, and photos are often used out of context to support the journalists article.

What we need is a return to journalism with values.!

[junqbox]

As with Rick's comment, journalism, and our perception of its quality is the real loser here. Note, television news rarely broadcasts a news story, no matter how news worthy or vital to the publics 'right to know' if they don't have footage to go with it. Same with the (mostly) Murdoch press, where if there isn't a supporting image, they don't give the coverage a story may be due. Funnily enough, as is often highlighlighted on MediaWatch, they'll happily run a story with questionable facts if there is no image. So the takeout from Murdoch papers is- It only really happened if they have a photo of it. Hence Shane Warne's cosmetic appearance or other rubbish makes bigger news than other more noteworthy events, because someone's publicist supplied the typewritten story (copy & paste) with an image, 'journo's' job done.

The proliferation of digital cameras has already contributed to the 'devaluation' of photography, as did video camera's a few years back, when everyone was going to be the next TropFest winner, or Australia's Funniest Home Video.

[kiwi]

I think its a big yawn really

Do we really expect an army of PJ's out there covering a traffic accident, hail on your lawn etc.

Very few of the crwod sourced photos make it into print, usually they are just part of a online gallery of readers images

I dont think they compete with quality photo journalism.

[geoffsta]

I think this is scary. As an volunteer emergency service person, I can now see all the idiots running around with their iphones trying to get pics for the news.
It's hard enough now with gawkers trying to get a look in. Let alone Richard Heads taking photos and sending them back to the journo's. Just so they can get the story completely wrong.
Who will need the paparazzi now

[kiwi]

and they don't now ?

[reaction]

at least the app is free. mX sold an app for $1.99 so you could draw a comic and submit it for the chance for 10s of fame. surprisingly people have paid for it.