I argued in our group presentation that citizen journalism didn’t have a place in sports journalism, but I have found one example where citizen journalism has helped a sport, Formula 1 one of my favourite sports!
The weather during last years Japanese Grand Prix was really bad. Torrential rain was a constant disruption to the drivers. The amount of water on the track caused Fernado Alonso’s McClaren Mercedes to crash, hitting a wall and calling out the safety car. When the safety car is out the drivers are must not pass it or any of their fellow competitors.
No one expected much to happen with the cars proceeding round the circuit in procession while the parts of Alonso’s car were cleared from the track. But on lap 45 the TV cameras showed the aftermath of a collision between third placed Sebastian Vettel and second placed Mark Webber. Vettel looked set to be punished for causing the collision before this evidence videoed by a spectator came to light
The video shows first placed Lewis Hamilton braking heavily in order to not go past the safety car. You can see how Mark Webber had to do the same in order not to pass Hamilton and be punished for overtaking the safety car. However the inexperienced Sebastian Vettel did not have enough time to brake and avoid hitting the back of Mark Webber with the resulting collision removing them both from the race.
Following the emergence of the video Vettel escaped punishment as the video showed the crash was not his fault, something TV cameras didn’t pick up. If a citizen journalist had not been videoing the race at this point a young inexperienced driver could have been punished for something he could not have done much to stop.
Lewis Hamilton was investigated for dangerous driving but in the end he wasn’t charged with anything by the FIA.
Perhaps this isn’t the only instance of a spectator’s video resolving a dispute during a sporting fixture. The TV Cameras can’t be everywhere to see what a referee might miss or may not be able to see. So perhaps sports journalism in the future will become more influenced by the extra camera angles in the crowd.
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