Making the news: Tabloid counts on army of citizen journalists

Germany – A major supermarket chain has teamed up with a national newspaper in an attempt to sign up a legion of citizen reporters, offering the cash-strapped news media an alternative to traditional journalists.

Discount supermarket Lidl, in association with Bild, a tabloid and the country’s best-selling newspaper, is selling a simple-to-use digital camera that can be used to upload images directly to editors at the paper. Each camera costs €69.99, and is able to record photos and videos. Special software and a USB port allow reader-reporters to easily contribute content to Bild’s news team.

The initiative fits into a broader trend among newspapers to deliver more user-generated content as readers move online to collaborate with citizen-journalism sites such as OhmyNews.com (South Korea) and NowPublic.com (Canada). Reader-reporters are increasingly able to make money from work posted on these websites as editors and photo agencies bid for celebrity images illicitly captured by roving members of the public.

Bild, a publication known for breaking major political stories, will use its latest digital-reporter initiative to streamline an existing programme that brings in thousands of photos each day by email and text message. Since 2006, the paper has published more than 9,000 of these images.