I really think this is the biggest value of citizen journalism. So often journalists complain to me “do you really think they can report the news better than we do.”

Of course not: They might at times – but citizen journalists do this as a hobby in their spare time. Anytime you put a profesional against somebody doing something as a hobby, the pro will be better, whether it’s journalism or weight lifting.

But if you can engage citizens into productive hobbies like journalism – as opposed to tv watching or video games, etc — we benefit – even if they don’t produce pulitzer work (which, who knows – maybe they will).

Anyways. Thanks for the thoughts. Peace!