The professionalism, reliability and public accountability of a news organization are three of its most valuable assets.

February 14, 2008 11:43 AM

iReport.com- "a brand new beta site for uncensored, user-powered news. CNN built the tools, you take it from there. All the stories here are user-generated and instant: CNN does not vet or verify their authenticity or accuracy before they post. The ones with the "On CNN" stamp have been vetted and used in CNN news coverage."
posted by blue_beetle (27 comments total)

Thursday Lunch Report: Omelet!

Riveting.
posted by Skorgu at 11:47 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

So, they don't pay you if they use your story?
posted by Burhanistan at 11:48 AM on February 14, 2008

Man, I created an account and even wrote the whole story on the breaking news of your mother wearing combat boots (Category: Salute to Troops) but it requires a video file too. Pfff.

Should be hilarious in the coming days, though.
posted by DU at 11:49 AM on February 14, 2008

CNN does not vet or verify their authenticity or accuracy before they post.

Absolutely incredible that this is a selling point.
posted by jbickers at 11:49 AM on February 14, 2008

This won't last a week. After spammers find it, and after it starts to accumulate ideologically-slanted political posts, and after libelous posts start show up, they'll end the experiment.

This kind of thing has been tried in the past, and it always founders because it's based on the underlying assumption that those who participate will act in good faith.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:50 AM on February 14, 2008

I have seen the future of citizen journalism, and it is poop. Literally. It's all about poop. Well written, but sadly poop-centric.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:51 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

On the left it has assignments:

"Stories from Second Life"

I'd also like the WOW Report and news on the latest ships destroyed in Eve Online.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:51 AM on February 14, 2008

unedited + unfiltered = crap
posted by desjardins at 11:51 AM on February 14, 2008

MetaFilter: It's based on the underlying assumption that those who participate will act in good faith.
posted by jbickers at 11:52 AM on February 14, 2008

To be fair, there's some kind of community voting system. So the good crap should float to the top. You know, like on YouTube.

OK, forget it.
posted by DU at 11:54 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

That domain cost them $750,000 bucks...
posted by SweetJesus at 12:23 PM on February 14, 2008

Welcome to a brand new beta site for uncensored, user-powered news.

Countdown to porn...3...2...1
posted by smackfu at 12:25 PM on February 14, 2008

I have seen the future of citizen journalism, and it is poop. Literally. It's all about poop. Well written, but sadly poop-centric.

This is different from CNN's normal content how?
posted by ryoshu at 12:30 PM on February 14, 2008

This just in!
posted by homunculus at 12:31 PM on February 14, 2008

Rough and about two years behind the curve, but maybe this is what TV will probably become: just a greatest hits collection of things produced on the web each day.

(I don't understand why there isn't already a "Best of YouTube" channel on basic cable that does nothing but loop the highest-rated shows in the framework of something approximating a TV schedule. No interactivity, the way that TV is best. Seems like a no-brainer.)
posted by rokusan at 12:32 PM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Well that was well-received.
posted by Jay Reimenschneider at 12:47 PM on February 14, 2008

I like the idea but clearly the site will be targeted by griefers and spammers of all stripes.

Hopefully they can figure out a way to mitigate that and still have an interesting site.
posted by aerotive at 12:50 PM on February 14, 2008

It's liveleak, but one where you give all the rights to CNN. Wheeee. Where do I place my soul?
posted by unixrat at 12:52 PM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

If one plots this development on the great continuum that starts with Edward R. Murrow on one end, and Drew Curtis on the other, one throws up.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 12:52 PM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

(I don't understand why there isn't already a "Best of YouTube" channel on basic cable that does nothing but loop the highest-rated shows in the framework of something approximating a TV schedule. No interactivity, the way that TV is best. Seems like a no-brainer.)

This exists, it's just called VH1.

and they fill the rest of the time with America's Next Top Model
posted by drezdn at 2:02 PM on February 14, 2008

I think this is awesome and has incredible potential. The crucial part will be what type of community springs up around the site.
posted by cell divide at 2:07 PM on February 14, 2008

A banal yet exclamatory society so far.

“The weather here in New York City is absolutely *disgusting*!”

Gladkij // 8 hours ago: nice snow :^)

Nick Wright // 11 hours ago: See, in Atlanta we get the cold, but not so much the snow, so when it gets down to 23 degrees as it is right now it's simply annoying without any nice snow to look at. I'd trade with you.

Stargazer276 // 18 hours ago: The weather here is really lousy. But I do like the composition in your photo

Joseph Trotz // 18 hours ago: Nice image - great composition.

HNH // 1 day ago: great photo!!!!

shmooved // 1 day ago: I can't wait for Spring!
posted by HVAC Guerilla at 2:18 PM on February 14, 2008

Thank you for the LiveLeak comparison, unixrat... Putting the two next to each other, I've decided that LiveLeak is thoroughly underappreciated.
posted by VulcanMike at 3:26 PM on February 14, 2008

rokusan: I don't understand why there isn't already a "Best of YouTube" channel

We've had something like this on free-to-air. I could only take 5 minutes of it.
posted by pompomtom at 3:39 PM on February 14, 2008

BREAKING NEWS Ketchup assassinated

ZOMG mustard wanted for questioning

Tags: mideast, ketchup
posted by puritycontrol at 9:28 PM on February 14, 2008

It's like Indymedia, but...worse!
posted by streetdreams at 9:30 PM on February 14, 2008

Well, folks, you've got your NewsFilter -- now get to work!
posted by davejay at 11:30 PM on February 14, 2008