Media use of citizen-journalists 'irresponsible' and 'dangerous'

The debate about the watershed in ‘citizen-journalism’ in Britain in the aftermath of the London bombings rages on. The online edition of the UK Press Gazette reports that the use of amateur mobile phone images by the media is condemned as "totally unacceptable" and "bordering on the irresponsible".
The Chartered Institute of Journalists has written to the UKPG with two main objections – the fact that citizen-journalists could be injured, and the fact the TV companies don’t pay for the contributions.
The CIoJ rounded on the commercial TV regional news programme - London Tonight -which regularly made appeals to viewers with mobile phone cameras.
The broadcaster is reported to have said: "Register with us, so we can contact you when a news story breaks in your area, because we want you, the viewer, to feel a part of the exciting world of newsgathering".
It also attacked the BBC for using ‘amateur’ footage. As previously reported here, the BBC is looking to expand it’s trial of using consumer generated media.
It also cited CNN for ‘taking the prize’ for ‘sheer effrontery’ with it’s agreement which demanded people signed away all rights to footage, and giving CNN the right to sell it on to affiliates.
The CIoJ said:

"These TV companies deserve condemnation for their outrageous demands and their disregard for the danger they may be subjecting their viewers to in their attempt to obtain picture material. Just in case anyone thinks these dangers are exaggerated, remember that two Press Photographers in recent times have met their death while attending major news stories in London alone. One killed by the IRA Bishopsgate bomb blast in the City of London, the other during rioting in Brixton.”

While the Chartered Institute of Journalists is a professional organisation representing journalists’ interests – it doesn’t represent as many journalists in the UK as the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). The NUJ hasn’t commented so far on the debate.

Matt