An army of photographers

Our news networks in Iowa and Wisconsin have been scrambling to cover the flooding in those states. Unlike newspapers and TV stations, we don't have photographers and videographers to supply "pictures" for the stories we post to our websites. And a flood is a very visible event.

I didn't have to look long on flickr to find literally thousands of photos (and video) of flooding in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. I pinged one of the photographers (James Lewin) for permission to use some of his images and he graciously agreed.

This is a small example of how reporting might happen from this point on. A loose collaboration of professionals and non-professionals. The news organizations that understand how to tap into these "citizen journalists" will be the winners.