Citizen journalism is proving invaluable, once again, in keeping the world updated about the horrific flash floods which hit the Portuguese island of Madeira after a violent storm on Saturday morning. The floods, believed to have been caused by weeks of heavy rain in the area, have led to dangerous mudslides sweeping havoc through the island. Recent reports show damage to cars, buildings and a rising death toll of 38. A British woman holidaying on the island is also believed to be missing.
While the traditional media have been quick to send reporters to the chaos-ridden capital, Funchal - including the Guardian’s economics editor Larry Elliott - citizen reporters have been even faster off the mark, using a range of online sources to update news, upload photos and videos, and ensure that people and Madeira and the rest of the world know what’s going on.
LiveLeak, MaYoMo and Digital Journal - to name just a few citizen journalism news sites – are being continually updated with recent reports from bloggers, vloggers, photojournalists and mobile reporters alerting us to the news as it’s happening in Madeira. Twitter contains thousands of tweets on the topic, regarding getting help to those in the area, how to contact people if you’re worried about them, and news on how rescue efforts are getting on. Here is a sample of what’s being said on the social networking site:
Caro65: RT @lindamachado: If you're trying to contact people in Madeira, try to use MSN, Skype or mail, if possible #tempmad
Madeirense_Club: RT @retorta: Please fw to your friends: Floods in Madeira: A list of missing people is being made. Please send info to tempmadinfo@gmail.com
Citizen photojournalism sites AllVoices, Flickr and Fotopedia have some shocking photos of the carnage caused by the floods and mudslides, which have been uploaded by people currently experiencing it. The websites are also great sources for up-to-the-minute news and views from people in Madeira, including ordinary citizens who have been caught up in the floods, and important statements from the region’s government. This snippet from Fotopedia, and its accompanying photograph, provides a useful insight into what’s been happening today…
“One man witnessed his family being swept away. One hotel manager said: “This was worse than the last really big storm in 1993. We have been told that three inches of rain fell in an hour. I saw a new BMW floating past the end of my street today.”
The Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates said he was “absolutely saddened and shocked with the images, with the consequences of this calamity.” Sócrates and the Interior Minister Rui Pereira planned a flight to the island in a matter of hours, to examine and evaluate the damages and to co-ordinate aid efforts with the local autonomous government of Alberto João Jardim, which is making temporary shelters available for the homeless, estimated in hundreds of people. Interior Minister Rui Pereira has flown to the island.
The Portuguese government is considering whether to declare the state of emergency in the region. It may seek funds from the European Union.”
The aftermath of the mudslides (Source: Wikimedia)
The BBC, Reuters and ITN News all feature amateur video and audio coverage of the unfolding events, with videos such as the following (sourced on ITN’s YouTube videostream) being uploaded by citizen journalists…
Much like during the first few days after the Haitian earthquake, BBC News is tuned in to the value of citizen journalism in this time of crisis, with the following message included on all its coverage of the events:
Do you live in the area? Have you been affected by the floods and mudslides? Are you visiting the island?
Send your comments using the post form below. A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload it here. At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Similar crowd-sourcing tactics, tapping into the potential of citizen reporters in Funchal, can be found on various other news sites. It’s interesting to compare the coverage of the Madeira floods, and the incorporation of citizen journalism into the mainstream media, with the 2004 flash floods in Boscastle, to which the unpredictability and devastation of this recent disaster is being aligned. In 2004, news reports were very much limited to the traditional media, with little live coverage, no amateur videos and only limited citizen journalism input.
The importance of citizen journalism in the wake of crises such as these is nothing new. But every time it happens, its speed, accuracy and usefulness surprises even citizen journalists. Citizen reporting is not just a chronicle of what’s happening and where; it’s often a rally cry for help, support and awareness of something that threatens a segment of humanity - a representation of the values of citizenship and ‘togetherness’ advocated by philosopher Michael Sandel in his recent Comment is Free article: Towards a just society.
Moreover, this example of the power and benefit of citizen journalism comes at a timely moment. Times columnist Hugo Rifkind’s recent column in the Spectator laments the interactive, bottom-up motivations of the citizen journalism movement. “When people tell me of a new, grass-roots momentum in politics, and then tell me that this momentum is web-based, I start to feel both queasy and doubtful,” he says, urging us to place less emphasis on what the amateurs and online commentators, and turn the focus back to the professionals.
Source: Wikimedia/Wikipedia Commons
Here’s hoping that, as the Daily Telegraph’s James Delingpole has to say, Mr Rifkind soon realises the error of his ways. “This has not been my experience of the internet, I must say,” writes Delingpole. ”Au contraire – without wishing to flatter you too much, you blog-addicted, foaming-mouthed, swivel-eyed loons – I’ve found the comments sections on blogs to be bastions of wisdom, rough-hewn common sense, wit, and often amazingly well-informed insight.” Citizen journalists’ well-rounded, accurate and informative coverage of the Madeira floods is an example of just this – the power and often-underestimated merits of online comment for all. In times of crisis, citizen journalism is a brilliant example of people joining together to tell a story, and make sure it has a happier ending.
Let’s hope that, when it comes to appreciating the importance of citizen reporting, it doesn’t always take a crisis to make people sit up and take notice.
Portuguese floods: citizen journalism in a time of crisis
Citizen journalism is proving invaluable, once again, in keeping the world updated about the horrific flash floods which hit the Portuguese island of Madeira after a violent storm on Saturday morning. The floods, believed to have been caused by weeks of heavy rain in the area, have led to dangerous mudslides sweeping havoc through the island. Recent reports show damage to cars, buildings and a rising death toll of 38. A British woman holidaying on the island is also believed to be missing.
While the traditional media have been quick to send reporters to the chaos-ridden capital, Funchal - including the Guardian’s economics editor Larry Elliott - citizen reporters have been even faster off the mark, using a range of online sources to update news, upload photos and videos, and ensure that people and Madeira and the rest of the world know what’s going on.
LiveLeak, MaYoMo and Digital Journal - to name just a few citizen journalism news sites – are being continually updated with recent reports from bloggers, vloggers, photojournalists and mobile reporters alerting us to the news as it’s happening in Madeira. Twitter contains thousands of tweets on the topic, regarding getting help to those in the area, how to contact people if you’re worried about them, and news on how rescue efforts are getting on. Here is a sample of what’s being said on the social networking site:
Citizen photojournalism sites AllVoices, Flickr and Fotopedia have some shocking photos of the carnage caused by the floods and mudslides, which have been uploaded by people currently experiencing it. The websites are also great sources for up-to-the-minute news and views from people in Madeira, including ordinary citizens who have been caught up in the floods, and important statements from the region’s government. This snippet from Fotopedia, and its accompanying photograph, provides a useful insight into what’s been happening today…
The aftermath of the mudslides (Source: Wikimedia)
The BBC, Reuters and ITN News all feature amateur video and audio coverage of the unfolding events, with videos such as the following (sourced on ITN’s YouTube videostream) being uploaded by citizen journalists…
Much like during the first few days after the Haitian earthquake, BBC News is tuned in to the value of citizen journalism in this time of crisis, with the following message included on all its coverage of the events:
Do you live in the area? Have you been affected by the floods and mudslides? Are you visiting the island?
Send your comments using the post form below. A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below.
Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload it here. At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Similar crowd-sourcing tactics, tapping into the potential of citizen reporters in Funchal, can be found on various other news sites. It’s interesting to compare the coverage of the Madeira floods, and the incorporation of citizen journalism into the mainstream media, with the 2004 flash floods in Boscastle, to which the unpredictability and devastation of this recent disaster is being aligned. In 2004, news reports were very much limited to the traditional media, with little live coverage, no amateur videos and only limited citizen journalism input.
The importance of citizen journalism in the wake of crises such as these is nothing new. But every time it happens, its speed, accuracy and usefulness surprises even citizen journalists. Citizen reporting is not just a chronicle of what’s happening and where; it’s often a rally cry for help, support and awareness of something that threatens a segment of humanity - a representation of the values of citizenship and ‘togetherness’ advocated by philosopher Michael Sandel in his recent Comment is Free article: Towards a just society.
Moreover, this example of the power and benefit of citizen journalism comes at a timely moment. Times columnist Hugo Rifkind’s recent column in the Spectator laments the interactive, bottom-up motivations of the citizen journalism movement. “When people tell me of a new, grass-roots momentum in politics, and then tell me that this momentum is web-based, I start to feel both queasy and doubtful,” he says, urging us to place less emphasis on what the amateurs and online commentators, and turn the focus back to the professionals.
Source: Wikimedia/Wikipedia Commons
Here’s hoping that, as the Daily Telegraph’s James Delingpole has to say, Mr Rifkind soon realises the error of his ways. “This has not been my experience of the internet, I must say,” writes Delingpole. ”Au contraire – without wishing to flatter you too much, you blog-addicted, foaming-mouthed, swivel-eyed loons – I’ve found the comments sections on blogs to be bastions of wisdom, rough-hewn common sense, wit, and often amazingly well-informed insight.” Citizen journalists’ well-rounded, accurate and informative coverage of the Madeira floods is an example of just this – the power and often-underestimated merits of online comment for all. In times of crisis, citizen journalism is a brilliant example of people joining together to tell a story, and make sure it has a happier ending.
Let’s hope that, when it comes to appreciating the importance of citizen reporting, it doesn’t always take a crisis to make people sit up and take notice.