July 30, 2005
Will citizen reporters respect news blackouts?
As police launched a major operation yesterday - sending in officers armed with assault rifles to flush out suspects from homes in west London's Notting Hill neighbourhood - the media was asked to hold back, so as not to give away details of their next sweep, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Media organisations were told that lives could be put at risk if they broadcast live footage or ran commentaries as raids unfolded in the quiet neighbourhood. The stations abided."
I wonder if citizen reporters will respect the occasional "embargo" or "blackout" request as journalists ethically do. The media would certainly hold back on publishing videos and pictures submitted by the public, but what about citizen journalists publishing their own camphone pics online? A quick tag search in Flickr didn't bring up any pictures of yesterday's raid. But there could be more on this issue later.
Picture left from the BBC.
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