Citizen journalism photo agency Scoopt closing

Digital media agency Getty Images announced plans on Tuesday to close down Scoopt, a citizen journalism photo agency based in Glasgow which it acquired two years ago. The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The site (scoopt.com) itself will remain active until March 6 but from February 6 we'll not be accepting any new imagery," Molly McWhinnie, a Getty Images spokeswoman, told AFP. McWhinnie said the decision to close Scoopt, which was purchased by Getty Images in March 2007 for an undisclosed sum, was made to allow Getty "to focus our energies on more of our core products in news, sports and entertainment." She said Getty Images, which is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, remained interested in user-generated photos.

Links to previous articles related to Scoopt. permalink (February 3rd, 2009)

Getty Images acquires Scoopt

Getty Images Inc. has acquired Scoopt, the Scottish Web-based service that markets and sells photographs and videos captured by the public, reports Reuters. "Getty, the world's largest provider of editorial and stock photography, said Scoopt's imagery from news, sport and entertainment that met its editorial standards would soon be released through its service to a worldwide audience. "New technology has made it easier to capture and distribute imagery, leading to citizen photojournalism that is increasingly relevant to the news cycle," said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images. "While this genre will never replace the award-winning photojournalism for which we're known, it's a highly complementary offering that enables us to meet the evolving imagery needs of a broad customer base." permalink (March 12th, 2007)

ScooptWords: Scoopt agency now selling blog content

Scoopt, the world's first commercial citizen journalism photography agency, has just launched ScooptWords, a "word version" for bloggers and editors. [via Jeremy Wagstaff's LOOSE wire blog] Bloggers simply add a button on their blog and editors can click to buy content they want to print and bloggers want to sell. For Editors, ScooptWords offers an easy way to license blog content without having to deal directly with bloggers who may be in different time zones, may use different currencies, and who may not understand about licensing and copyright. With ScooptWords, you can access the entire blogosphere through just one agency. In their own words: We are now launching ScooptWords to offer the same deal to bloggers. We strongly believe that many bloggers produce content as good as or better than what already appears in newspapers and magazines. But they're not getting published and they're not getting paid. We aim to change all that. So, when you sign up to join Scoopt you can send us your newsworthy pictures and videos, as well as your blog details. It's all part of the same bigger picture: if you create something of value, whether it's a photograph or a blog post, we can help you find a commercial market for it. permalink (June 5th, 2006)

Scoopt to install its software into 10 million cameraphones

Scoopt, the U.K.-based news picture agency that deals exclusively with images from citizen journalists, will sign a deal to install its software into 10 million mobile phones, according to founder Kyle MacRae, reports Scotland's The Sunday Herald. "The company, which sells pictures taken by any mobile phone user to tabloids and celebrity magazines, is also considering a relocation to Silicon Valley. MacRae says: “One of the biggest challenges is how do we get people to know about us to send in their pictures. We are about to sign a deal which puts Scoopt software on 10 million handsets going into every market in the world except China. That is a pretty big deal for us, it will make a major difference.” permalink (April 16th, 2006)

More on Scoopt's first sales and the arrival of US competitor Spy Media

Scoopt, the U.K.-based news picture agency that deals exclusively with images from citizen journalists, reports that it's starting to make some sales to news organizations. Founder Kyle MacRae reports on its first sales via E-Media Tidbits: -- A Bristol man captured the immediate aftermath of a dramatic car chase, and Scoopt sold his pictures to the Bristol Evening Post. -- A Scoopt member used his cameraphone to photograph and film a commuter train fire at Abbey Wood Station, London. ITV's "London Today" news program licensed and broadcast the video. -- And a Scoopt member obtained exclusive pictures of (model) Jodie Kidd's wedding. Scoopt sold one picture to the Sun newspaper. MacRae won't reveal how much the citizen news images were sold for due to an agreement with members not to publicly reveal how much they earn Scoopt keeps 50 percent of the fees earned when it sells a citizen news photograph or video. Scoopt soon will have a competitor in selling citizen news photos. A U.S.-based start-up, Spy Media, is set to debut in early October. Its model is slightly different, serving both citizen photographers and professional photojournalists, who upload photos to a website, where picture editors can buy rights to images. Related article: - Scoopt sells first major cameraphone shot permalink (September 14th, 2005)

Scoopt sells first major cameraphone shot

Techdirt reports that Scoopt, the first photo agency set up "specifically and exclusively for citizen journalists, has finally made it's first sale to the Bristol Evening Post for a "two-figure sum". "The shot in question was from one Stephen Bell who captured the aftermath of a stolen car that had crashed following a police chase in the Bristol area". As of last August, the agency reported having signed up 1,200 members in a month. "However, none of the 600 pictures at that point merited media attention, according to founder Kyle Macrae. permalink (September 10th, 2005)

Beijing Olympics could be the making of citizen journalism

An interesting piece from Journalism.co.uk on how the organizing committee has released a hefty guide to foreign journalists covering the Beijing Oylmpics, yet it has so far made no provision for the thousands of visitors - equipped with cameras and cameraphones - who will want to report events - sporting and non-sporting - on their blogs, or send images to citizen-journalism agencies. "The sheer number of citizen journalists that could descend on Beijing - and with MMS and SMS platforms providing an alternative avenue of publishing - has led some to believe that controlling them could be beyond the notoriously long arms of China's media authorities. "It's uncontrollable," said Kyle McRae, founder of Scoopt.com. "Partly because the technology is there, and partly because people want to do this. Fundamentally, with an internet connection people can send content; you can't control this information. They [Chinese authorities] will try but they won't succeed." Despite a great wealth of participants, the Chinese blogging community is one of the most locked down in the world, forbidden from generating their own news or commentary, and supposed only to reproduce censor-approved material that has passed through China's state-controlled media. The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates there are at least 29 journalists imprisoned in China - of these, 19 are internet writers. China is an authoritative system used to dealing with a large volume of internet traffic. As a result, the explosion of citizen journalism expected from foreign nationals visiting China could be stymied. "I would be careful with the suggestion that they can't control it," Hidde Kross, of Dutch citizen journalism site Skoeps.com told Journalism.co.uk. "Don't underestimate their brilliance in sorting out what's published on the internet. They have the finest brains in the world to work on content publishing, as well as filtering technologies." permalink (August 20th, 2007)

Regular Folks, Shooting History

Digital technology makes 'Citizen Journalists' out of eyewitnesses eager to click and post, writes The Washington Post in a lenghty and thorough artcle on the rise of cameraphone reporters. Nothing that hasn't been covered here before, but there are some interesting new stats and quotes from Kyle MacRae, who runs Scoopt. "In 15 months, Scoopt has registered almost 12,000 people in 97 countries". "With so many camera phones making celebrity photos so easy to come by", MacRae said, he is trying to get the balance right between newsworthiness and privacy. We're stuck in the middle trying to find a sensible approach," he said. "But I do know that you can't turn this off. Sooner or later, every news story will be captured first by a citizen journalist." permalink (December 18th, 2006)

Calling All Mobile Paparazzi

If you have a mobile phone and an eye for a story, websites Pocket Picks and Scoopt are giving away an amazing top of the range Nokia N73 multimedia phone for the best mobile snapper. The competition is being run jointly by website Pocket Picks, which covers all things mobile, and Scoopt, the world’s first commercial citizen journalism agency with more than 10,000 members in over 90 countries. For the whole of October anyone with a cameraphone and an interesting story to tell can submit their pictures along with a short caption. At the end of the month the person who submits the most interesting and impactful story will win a brilliant Nokia N73 mobile phone, which includes an integrated 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optical lens for print-quality photos. If you’ve got a story to tell, a whistle to blow or something to get off your chest – or if you simply happen to find yourself in the right place at the right time – get your mobile out and take a picture! The best picture(s) will be published on Pocket Picks , with a public vote for the best overall entry. permalink (October 3rd, 2006)

Readers are the new paparazzi

The IHT reports on the press' growing dependence on citizen reporters and how some celebrities are fighting back - citing human rights violations. Picture left from Scoopt. German Tabloid "Bild's "Leser-Reporter" feature, introduced during the World Cup, brought its readership daily shots of celebrities, politicians and soccer stars - taken from the cellphone cameras of quick-thinking passers-by. The photos were either uploaded onto the Bild home page or sent as e-mail attachments or multimedia messages to a special number the tabloid set up. The paper paid €500 to €1,000, or $638 to $1,270, for photos printed in the Reader-Reporter pages, and by the end of the World Cup soccer tournament, as many as 1,000 photos were streaming in daily. ... "Amateur photographers are omnipresent, and that's an interesting development," said Nicolaus Fest, who sits on the Bild editorial board.. "Whether you see them with fear or hope, that depends on your point of view." Christian Schertz, a lawyer to the stars, is clearly in the first camp. "I'm reminded of George Orwell. The normal citizen is encouraged to watch a fellow citizen," said Schertz, who counts Bild among his most consistent sparring partners. "And he even gets money for it." ... "The restriction in the private lives of celebrities is already at the point where you can talk about a human rights violation," said Schertz, the walls in his elegant office decorated with gifts from his prominent clients. Indeed, lawyers like Schertz have the legal backing of the European Court of Human Rights in their quest to preserve the private lives of their clients". permalink (August 13th, 2006)

Extortr

Spotted on Scoopt blog. A spoof extortion site involving camera phones or any other camera for that matter. Extortr You're being blackmailed using the most technologically advanced extortion service in the world, Extortr . If you haven't already, you should go to the web address in the email you were sent, to check that the photo or video that we have is genuine. If it's not, lucky you — you can let the timer next to it expire witout worry. If it is genuine, we recommend clicking on the "Pay Now" button as soon as possible in order to make sure that the material stays private. And read the fine print: This isn't actually a genuine web site. It's just a joke.. permalink (June 23rd, 2006)

VideoNewsCaster, a citizen journalist video broker

VideoNewsCaster.com is the latest agency offering to act as a gateway for citizen journalists, offering to broker any video clips which may contain interesting shots for news organizations to use. Though other agencies (listed below) accept videos along with camphone pictures, VideoNewsCaster is the first agency to position itself as a video broker. Anyone with a video cell phone or camcorder that captures newsworthy video can submit the clip for free through www.videonewscaster.com, a Website with a growing database of over 500 local and national news organizations. [Press release] Other such agencies: -- Scoopt -- SpyMedia -- Cell Journalist -- Splash News & Picture Agency permalink (June 1st, 2006)

Is it safe to snap strangers?

Wired offers some advice as to when it's safe (or not) to snap a stranger. [via Scoopt] "As long as your subjects don't have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" - meaning they're not somewhere they'd never expect a camera to be - you're on pretty solid ground. Even if you photograph them while they're on private property, you're in the clear - just make sure they're in plain view and you're not trespassing. However, there are exceptions. As the article notes: For example, if you happen to catch a couple of underage teens having sex in the park, don't shoot or you'll effectively be a child pornographer. Taking a picture of public art can theoretically violate copyright law, though only the most dim-witted artist would object to the free publicity. And, of course, some parts of military installations and nuclear plants are off-limits, too, for national security reasons. There are also different laws in different places, so for example in the UK harassment is a crime, while in some parts of the US it's illegal to take photographs that might be used for "gratification". The biggest dangers, though, are when you publish photographs: Don't write a caption that misidentifies someone or is unduly mocking - your subject could sue you for placing him in a "false light." Or let's say you've started a blog, and you take a snapshot of someone at a bus stop, then Photoshop it into a banner ad promoting your site. This implies the subject endorses your work, and she could file suit for publicity rights - a cut of the enormous revenues from your vast blog empire. That's unlikely, though. In general, only big celebs with bankable images are rich and self-important enough to hire a lawyer to sue your ass. permalink (May 16th, 2006)

Red-eye age checker and Camera Fingerprints

Two amazing technologies with regard to cameras. And there is no reason to believe why either won't apply to cameraphones. Red-eye age checker This is another fabulous patent dug up by Barry Fox for New Scientist: "Camera maker Kodak is adapting the technology used to automatically correct flash-induced "red-eye" in digital images to determine a person's age. ... Kodak's patent mentions previous research suggesting a correlation between age and the way pupils react to light. As a person gets older, their pupils have greater difficulty widening to cope with dim light, it says. The company suggests that an age-verification system could take mug shots of a person from a set distance in controlled lighting, using a flash. Software would then measure the size of their red-eye dots to determine how wide their pupils are and make an estimate of their age". Camera Fingerprints In this fascinating new technique developed by New York University and reported on Scoopt, "researchers found that every camera has a unique "fingerprint", which makes it possible to tie an image to a particular camera or tell whether a picture has been faked". [Press Release in tech speak] permalink (April 26th, 2006)

Investigative report on Citizen Reporters, Monday night on CanalPlus

Monday night at 22h50 on "Lundi Investigation", French TV channel Canal Plus is broadcasting an investigative news segment entitled "Everyone is a reporter: The end of professional Journalists"?. Ariel Wizman and Laurent Lunetta have travelled to France, Italy, England and the US, investigating how citizens armed with new technologies, are becoming a threat to professional journalists. Cyril Fiévet, Loic Le Meur, Dan Gilmore, Kyle MacRae (Scoopt), Alfie Dennen (moblogUK), Christophe Grébert (Monputeaux.com), Joël de Rosnay, Carlo Revelli (Agoravox) and myself for Picturephoning.com, Joëlle Menrath, author of Mobile Attitude and Bruno Patino, co-author of Une presse sans Gutenberg, have all been interviewed for this program. permalink (April 20th, 2006)

The cautionary tale of a citizen hoaxer

Scoopt Blog points to a citizen reporting hoax story, published in The Guardian. Ian Mayes, The readers' editor on ... the cautionary tale of a citizen hoaxer. "On Monday last week the Guardian published a report - accompanied by a dramatic photograph - of a heath fire in Dorset. The report began: "Canford Heath has blazed before, but rarely like this." In fact it has never blazed like that. The photograph showed not the fire in Dorset but a forest fire almost six years ago in Montana, the north-western US state bordering Canada. How did it get into the Guardian? Seeking to illustrate the story late on Sunday, with no still pictures from the fire in Dorset then available, the picture desk "grabbed" a selection of images from the rolling news coverage on Sky News. The presenter said on air, while this particular image was held on the screen: "We have actually got some pretty dramatic pictures our viewers have sent in". The Guardian report, addressing the picture, said: "Wild animals, silhouetted by the bright orange inferno in a photograph taken by a local resident, were left to fend for themselves." The wild animals in fact are elk a hoax indexed on Snopes, which, as one of my correspondents later that day put it, are rarely seen in Dorset. ... I tell all this as a cautionary tale of our time. The picture editor said it points up a problem with "citizen" journalism. Picture agencies, such as AP and Reuters - the Guardian too - he reminds us, have draconian rules about altering pictures or passing them off as something they are not - photographers have been sacked for that sort of thing. There are no such rules for the citizen and we do not have the reassurance the rules should bring that seeing is believing. permalink (March 28th, 2006)

Citizen journalism story frenzy (part 4) - Using a cameraphone to cover Iraq for CNN

The UK Press Gazette has put together a special feature about citizen journalism. [via Scoopt Blog] This is part 4. Using a cameraphone to cover Iraq for CNN - by Nic Robertson. As I climbed out of our armoured car at the Iraqi checkpoint my heart was pounding. I knew what I had to do, but now the moment had come: would I buckle? I had been trying out new mobile phones to see how they could be used to support CNN's field newsgathering. Test clips had showed that the phones delivered amazing quality pictures easily. ... As I walked around the armoured car I made sure I'd hit the red button to activate the recording. With an hour's record time and 1 gigabyte of memory, I knew I could let it roll on. But would I have the nerve to point it at the armed guards at the checkpoint we wanted to film? Holding the phone by the screen and the lens towards the gunmen, I stepped out from behind the car and tried to nonchalantly strike up a conversation with our producer while carefully aiming the phone. It worked. We got exclusive pictures of the underground bunker where Iraq's new government had allegedly been torturing its citizens. Within a few hours the shots were e-mailed and broadcast on air. Soon there will be no waiting, we'll be able to broadcast live right form the spot with our mobile phones. Please don't ask if I'd have the nerve to do that at a checkpoint." Other chapters from the special feature in the UK Press Gazette: -- ITV welcomes the 'video witnesses' -- Turning the digital deluge into news -- Opportunity knocks permalink (March 28th, 2006)

Citizen journalism story frenzy (part 3) - ITV welcomes the 'video witnesses'

The UK Press Gazette has put together a special feature about citizen journalism. [via Scoopt Blog] This is part 3. ITV welcomes the 'video witnesses' - by Jonathan Munro deputy editor of ITV News. "Citizen journalist" is a dangerous phrase and people in our industry use it every day. They shouldn't. Mr Bloggs witnessing and filming an event is not a journalist. He doesn't check facts, find context, and look for second sources. He's more valuable than an eyewitness, who gets things wrong... Mr Bloggs with his cameraphone can't do that. So I call him a "video witness". Better than an eyewitness, but miles away from being a journalist. As a starting point, we at ITV News will ask for pictures after an event, but not in advance. Culturally, we may all become more proactive, but at this very early stage being reactive feels better. And it is an early stage. All sorts of issues will hit us, and it'll be rare to have a big breaking story without someone capturing it on their mobile. But we, as an industry, are good at change — and as our audiences increasingly use phones to watch their news as well as gather it — they're changing too." Other chapters from the special feature in the UK Press Gazette: -- Using a cameraphone to cover Iraq for CNN -- Turning the digital deluge into news -- Opportunity knocks permalink (March 28th, 2006)

Citizen journalism story frenzy (part 2) - Turning the digital deluge into news

The UK Press Gazette has put together a special feature about citizen journalism. [via Scoopt Blog] This is part 2. Turning the digital deluge into news - "Last summer, the BBC created a dedicated department to filter and verify the mass of video clips and images sent in by the public. As Martin Stabe finds, the unit is already being expanded to cope with the volume of submissions. ... Whether it's a riot in Khartoum, an earthquake in Pakistan, or everyday life in Iraq, a witness with a cameraphone is rarely far from an unfolding event. "Citizen journalism" is not a phrase heard frequently at the BBC. "User-generated content" is the preferred term in Television Centre. Whatever the label, if anyone needs evidence that it is not putting trained journalists out of work, they need look no further than the busy newsroom of BBC News Online, where Nicola Careem, Felicity Cowie and Anna Stewart work. Since last summer, the trio of broadcast journalists have formed the User Generated Content (UGC) hub, a dedicated BBC unit tasked with sifting though the deluge of material that the BBC's global audience contributes to the corporation by email and text message, verifying its authenticity and legality, and ensuring that it is swiftly passed on to appropriate BBC news outlets. "You don't go into this lightly, thinking you can sack a few journalists and get the public to do our jobs for us. It's just not like that — it's quite the opposite actually," says BBC News interactivity editor Vicky Taylor, who oversees the hub. "The main concern we have with this at the moment is the volume — it's only going to become more and we need to ensure that we have the systems in place to deal with this. It's incredibly resource-intensive. You need to have staff to look at all this material and decide whether to publish it or not." Indeed, the UGC hub is expanding: next month three more journalists will join the team, allowing it to work longer hours in two shifts. ... The BBC aims to give a byline to anyone who sends a picture, but what they can't expect is any payment, says Taylor: "As a publicly-funded organisation, we can't pay people." Other chapters from the special feature in the UK Press Gazette: -- Using a cameraphone to cover Iraq for CNN -- ITV welcomes the 'video witnesses' -- Opportunity knocks permalink (March 28th, 2006)

Citizen journalism story frenzy (part 1) - Opportunity knocks

The UK Press Gazette has put together a special feature about citizen journalism. [via Scoopt Blog] This is part 1. -- Opportunity knocks - Scoopt picture agency founder Kyle MacRae talks about the early days of the venture and why he has made few fans on tabloid newspaper features desks. Interesting: "While picture desks are only to happy to deal with Scoopt, the feature desks won't touch us. You can see why. All newspapers (and broadcasters) can solicit pics from their own readership for free, so they have a vested interest in not promoting a company that tells their readers not to be such mugs." Other chapters from the special feature in the UK Press Gazette : -- Using a cameraphone to cover Iraq for CNN -- ITV welcomes the 'video witnesses' -- Turning the digital deluge into news permalink (March 28th, 2006)

The paparazzi are now everywhere

The Sunday Times Scotland has a wonderful interview of Kyle MacRae, the founder of Scoopt, the first agency to broker cameraphone pictures for amateur paparazzi and citizen reporters. Excerpts "On July 4, the website launched. Three days later London was bombed. “At the time, it was disastrous for us,” says MacRae. “Pictures of maimed bodies and people in distress were allegedly making their way onto the internet, and to be associated with that would be bad news both from a business and a personal ethical perspective.” Many of the most iconic images of the attacks were taken on camera phones, however, in Tavistock Square and on the devastated trains. “Over a longer period, that helped to close the credibility gap and convince people that we had an idea that could work,” says MacRae. Scoopt was picked up by, among others, CNN, Wired magazine and Newsweek. A bandwagon was rolling. Six months later, MacRae has crow’s-feet from working round the clock, and the site has 5,500 members in 86 countries. More significant, perhaps, are its imitators — sites such as The Snitcher Desk and Cash Your Pics. Last week Splash, one of the biggest picture agencies in America, announced that it too was starting a service for members of the public who wished to “snap, send and sell”. But some of the successes appear to have taken even MacRae by surprise: “The highest single-value picture we’ve sold so far was of the new Dr Who monster, Sycorax. A Dr Who fan was watching the filming in June in the Forest of Dean, and this monster came out of the dressing-room trailer, so he took a photograph of it. “That’s a good example because it was just an opportunistic moment. Nobody was hurt. Nobody killed. No damage done. The photographer made a thousand quid just before Christmas. He was delighted.” ... For all the animosity between celebrities and paparazzi, professional photographers know the rules, where the legal and ethical boundaries lie — even if they sometimes choose to overstep them. The amateurs of Scoopt don’t. True, the site offers guidelines and has some safety checks built in: all contributors must be over 18; Scoopt will not accept any pictures of children; nor will it take pictures obtained through what MacRae calls an overt breach of privacy (such as breaking into somebody’s house). But it seems almost inevitable that amateurs will overstep the mark. “They won’t think twice about sticking a camera in somebody’s face,” says MacRae. “Is that something I feel happy about? No. But it’s not something we encourage either. " permalink (January 29th, 2006)

Splash News & Picture Agency taps into citizen journalism

The Splash News & Picture Agency has launched it's own agency for citizen cameraphone reporters according to an article in The Guardian, "encouraging members of the public to "snap, send and sell". ... "Splash says pictures of Britney Spears' first wedding, taken by a witness, were sold for $150,000 (£84,000) while a photo of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Edmonton, Canada, was sold for $30,000. Colin Farrell "kissing a girl" in a New York pub made $4,500 after he was snapped by another customer." Other similar agencies: -- Scoopt -- SpyMedia -- Cell Journalist permalink (January 18th, 2006)

Citizen News Photos: Grocery Shopping and Monsters

Is there money in citizen news photography? Probably not much, according to Steve Outing for E-Media Tidbits, but the occasional lucky few people in the right place at the right time, camera phone in hand, can get tidy checks, it would seem. "Scoopt, the citizen photo agency from the U.K., has begun reporting on some of its success stories. In its latest newsletter, Scoopt cites these citizen-photo sales: -- A cell-phone photo of Conservative Party leader David Cameron doing some grocery shopping on the day that he won the leadership contest sold for US$2,200 to two daily newspapers and a Sunday paper. Picture left. -- A photo of the new "Sycorax" monster character in the Dr. Who TV series, caught coming out of his trailer during filming, sold for US$3,500. Scoopt serves as an agency for citizens with newsworthy amateur photos, selling rights to traditional media outlets. " permalink (January 12th, 2006)

HSBC bank bans cameraphones to protect Wills

This is fun. From The Inquirer. In an effort to stop bank workers from benefiting from Prince William' s work experience stint at HSBC's HQ in Canary Wharf, the management have banned the use of cameraphones. Obviously the existence of online sites like scoopt.com – where registered users can sell pictures taken with their cameraphones – has come to the notice of top brass at HSBC. The ban was just part of a series of instructions circulated to employees in an email memo leaked to The Sun". permalink (November 16th, 2005)

The Future of Photojournalism

Forbes has a write-up today on citizens' photojournalism and Spy Media, the latest cameraphone picture market place, which opened Monday and compares their service with those of Scoopt and Cell Journalist. "SpyMedia joins Scotland-based Scoopt, which launched shortly after this summer's London bombings and Cell Journalist, another citizen-photojournalism Web site with big ambitions. Cell Journalist and Scoopt scan each picture and often talk with the photographer to determine authenticity, but Spy Media's process is automated. “We don't censor,” Brian Quinn, co-founder, says. “News is like fish. It goes bad quickly. It needs to be available immediately.” Spy Media's site is public, meaning anyone can scroll through its library of photos. Cell Journalist requires a monthly subscription that sends alerts to media outlets in specific geographic locations. Spy Media also hopes to gain from such smaller markets. Photos of a single local football game could be sold to a local newspaper or broadcaster or to parents. “There's big money to be made at that level,” Tom Quinn says. Related articles: -- CellJournalist - New agency for citizen reporters -- Scoopt's first sales and the arrival of US competitor Spy Media -- Seen it, shot it, sold it -- Scoopt Sell your photo to the press permalink (October 4th, 2005)

CellJournalist - New agency for citizen reporters

Following Scoopt and SpyMedia, Cell Journalist, is the third agency to offer media outlets access to a vast array of news-related images taken by citizen reporters. "When breaking news happens, it is much more likely today that the first images will be captured by passers-by with camera phones rather than by professional photographers," says Parker Polidor, President of Cell Journalist. "Cell Journalist aggregates images by camera phone users all over the world to give media services accurate and high-quality photographs." Press Release. Related article: - More on Scoopt's first sales and the arrival of US competitor Spy Media permalink (September 20th, 2005)

Never Forget Your Camera Again

I'm a little late in posting this story about Scoopts success so far. Sorry about that! According to Monique Van Dusseldorp on E Media Tidbits, the picture agency for amateurs signed up 1,200 members since its launch last month. "However, none of the 600 pictures received so far merits media attention, according to founder Kyle Macrae. "At the moment we are not approaching anybody until we have got the right picture." "For those who feel this shows that amateurs do not understand the value of the pictures they take, the Gazette has a nice example, though. Last month, taxi driver Jackie Greer happened to be in the bar where shop assistant Dolores McNamara realized she had the winning lottery ticket for €115 million (US$140 million), the biggest prize in Europe so far. Greer ran out to fetch a disposable camera from his home, took some snaps of the stunned winner, and called up the Irish newspapers. And indeed sold his pictures for over $20,000." You will find other commentaries on this story from well known bloggers such as Carlo Longino on both Techdirt and Mobhappy and James Pearce for Moco News. Related articles on Scoopt: -- Seen it, shot it, sold it -- Ethics issue for citizen snappers -- Sell your photo to the press permalink (August 12th, 2005)

Seen it, shot it, sold it

Another thought provoking article on Scoopt, the first photo agency set up "specifically and exclusively for citizen journalists" from The Guardian, where Roy Greenslade asks "Is this ethical journalism?". Following the London bombings, "suddenly, everyone was talking about "citizen journalists", arguing that the uncommercialised net, free from elite professional control and vested interests, offered an unrivalled way of people both transmitting and receiving the unvarnished truth. It is not as simple as that, of course. The detached journalistic professional is still necessary, whether to add all-important context to explain the blogs and the thousands of images, or simply to edit the material so that readers and viewers can speedily absorb what has happened. There are other important considerations, too, not least resolving knotty contradictions between freedom and commercialism, and between citizenship and consumerism." ... What all this suggests is that despite the net providing people with a revolutionary way of becoming journalists, it does not answer the central dilemma of journalism itself: what is it for? Democratisation has burgeoned alongside the "free" market economy that encourages people to believe that everything, including information, has a price. Is that really so great an advance?" permalink (August 8th, 2005)

Ethics issue for citizen snappers

Kyle MacRae, whose agency Scoopt represents mobile snappers so they get paid for their work, said there are serious ethical issues at stake when it comes to snaps taken by amateurs who witness events before they hit the headlines, reports BBC News. "The real issue here is an ethical issue if a bomb goes off and someone stops and takes a picture instead of helping," Mr MacRae explained. With more citizen reporters capturing valuable images and getting paid for it, there was a concern that authenticity of images could be an issue. "At one level, I think people will probably try to hoax us, but we have to use common sense there. People may quite possibly stage events which we have to be wary of," he said. Scoopt has an expert on board who can closely examine images to ensure no digital tampering has gone on. However, MacRae added that "citizen journalism has the potential to change what we think of as newsworthy events. A lot does not get reported because they have not been photographed." Mr MacRae also thinks there is a lot of potential for people to make the news where they live, and to report events in their local areas much more effectively. When a registered member sends in a picture to Scoopt - via MMS, via the website, or via e-mail - they are given a three-month exclusive licence. Scoopt accepts mobile video too, but technical restrictions make it more difficult to send. MMS has its drawbacks. The image may be taken on a high-quality megapixel cameraphone lens, but in the transfer process via GPRS, the image suffers. Scoopt advises people not to delete the original pictures from their cameraphones once sent, so that the higher quality original can be retrieved. permalink (August 5th, 2005)

Sell your photo to the press

With so many of the public armed with cameraphones, real people could be taking pictures that the press simply aren't there to catch. Tomorrow sees the official launch of Scoopt, the first picture agency set up specifically and exclusively to help citizen reporters around the world sell the pics they take on their cameraphones. First, you have to register. Then, you can send photos directly from your mobile phone via MMS or via mobile email. If you catch a scoop, Scoopt can make sure that the right people see your picture quickly. They will also ensure that you get a fair price for it. Each time Scoopt makes a sale, they split the money with you 50/50. permalink (July 4th, 2005)