The Internet has revolutionized the news industry by enabling ordinary citizens to report on stories that interest them. Successful "citizen journalists" can see their reporting picked up by larger media outlets.
One example of this was when an engineer found flaws in the design of several Coast Guard ships. Initially, mainstream media outlets ignored him when he told them about the issue, so he decided to report on the flaw on YouTube. His video received so many views that the Washington Post eventually covered the story.
Clearly, citizen journalists can have great power, but this means they have a responsibility to be reliable sources, just as large media outlets do. The best way to make sure mainstream media outlets can use your reporting as a source is to use your smartphone to record (high-quality) videos and interviews. This way, you can prove to the media and the public that you are reporting accurate information.
Additionally, citizen journalists should be careful to stick to the facts. Blogs are inherently less reputable than established media outlets, so you should be careful to protect your reputation by only reporting information which you can corroborate.
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