Crowdsourcing: The good, the bad & the ugly

The ethical, social, and economic implications of crowdsourcing are subject to wide debate and criticism. In the above video, author and journalist Jeff Howe defines crowdsourcing as "the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call [...] it's Wikipedia with everything". Conversely, journalist Bill Casselman calls crowdsourcing a "sleazy new word for a sleazy old scam".

So, is crowdsourcing a sordid scam, a passing fad or the future of information exchange?

Before you answer that question, here is a helpful list of the good, bad & ugly side of crowdsourcing-the following examples might help you decide whether or not crowdsourcing will have more of an effect on all forms of journalism than anything else that's come out of the online journalism revolution:

The Good:

Crowdsourcing is unquestionably on the rise. Wikipedia, Facebook, Youtube & Twitter are just a few well known examples of the concept at work. When the US Airways flight 1549 crashed into the the Hudson River on January 15 2009,a regular Joe Blow named Janis Krums posted the first photo of the crash on Twitter. Krums story is the quintessential example of participatory journalism.

The Bad:

In "Crowdsourcing: Pitfalls of Citizen Journalism", author Jeff Howe provides an example of the bad side of crowdsourcing in journalism:

"A citizen journalist with supposed inside information posted a story to CNN's IReport site claiming that Steve Jobs had been rushed to the hospital with chest pains. Apple stock, unsurprisingly, dive bombed as a result, its fall only arrested once Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton came out disputing the claim." Remember, crowdsourcing can be a very powerful communicative tool, therefore be cautious and vigilant when using it".

The Ugly:

On January 18th 2007, Clear Channel Communications fired all their news staff at KFTY-TV in Santa Rosa. Their goal was to cut costs. Now, the management is trying crowdsourcing as a fallback positions. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the "station's management asked people in the community-its independent filmmakers, its college students and professors, its civic leaders and others -- to provide programming for the station". Crowdsourcing replaced the veteran staff of reporters and news anchors at KFTY-TV. Of course, the station is considering paying contributors (considering being the operative word).