Cellular Journalism

The first time that I can readily remember cell phones playing a pivotal role in journalism was during the July 2005 London subway bombings. I remember sitting in my room, preparing to drive my sister to my aunt's house for babysitting, watching MSNBC and seeing images and low-quality video shot with cell phone cameras. Reports, personal accounts and media were flying into the studio at an alarming rate--most from citizens whose texting/photography skills were right on par with their survival instincts. In a way, it was morbidly fascinating. The fact that just four years earlier, the technology had not yet fully developed, leaving most audio-visual memories of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to standard news crews, is mind boggling. Where in those short four years did journalism turn from a challenging profession into a lurid hobby?

Singaporean beats Guinness World Record for fastest texting [ from Pocket-lint.co.uk ]