Blogs have given rise to a new class of citizen journalists, and Rupert Murdoch hopes to ride the wave. Last week, Fox launched uReport, which allows MySpace users to upload and tag photos and videos for possible use on the news network.
The major news networks were already getting a lot of help from citizen journalists. Often, anchors will ask multi-media armed viewers to email tips, photos or video from the scene.
Although Fox's uReport has fewer capabilities than CNN's iReport, this represents a meaningful push to take advantage of the journalist in all of us. It also shows a trend toward grassroots journalism, where viewers tell news professionals what's news, instead of the other way around.
So what does that mean for us public relations professionals? It means it's more important than ever to get your customers passionate about your brand. Hook up with 100,000 fans through MySpace, mobilize them to uReport news about your product, and suddenly you're on Fox News. Power to the people.
-Adrianne (@msfener)
