Gatekeepers: Going, going, gone - the challenge of citizen journalism to traditional practice

Commentators believe that the reporting of the London bombings of July 2005 ushered in a new era of the citizen joumalist. News outlets in Britain were flooded with emails and mobile phone pictures. But with the sheer quantity of material heading into the editor'S inbox, how can we be sure ofits veracity? This paper looks at The Herald Sun. The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph and The Adelaide Advertiser to investigate the current systems in place for checking incoming leads and material. The paper raises questions regarding the reliability of current systems and putsforward the possibility that new approaches and systems may be needed to meet the new challenges. The paper further explores if newspapers are still acting as gatekeepers of the traditional system or if they are letting the gate swing ajar in response to changed circumstances.