Tsunami Reports

An article in the Independent's MediaWeekly yesterday commented on how tourists played a vital role in reporting on the Asia tsunami.

Never before has there been a major international story where television news crews have been so emphatically trounced in their coverage by amateurs wielding their own cameras.

The article mostly focuses on how there was a flow of information and pictures from people there on the ground back to the big news agencies and broadcasters. This is hugely important as the big broadcasters have the biggest audiences, and are usually the first thing that the public turn to. For many though, the internet is a vital secondary source, with the power of the network allowing access to much more in depth info and first hand reports. A quick search will reveal hundreds of self-published sites, what follows is just a short list.

• photoset on flickr by 'inertia' (contains strong images)
• Wikipedia Article - Wikipedia is being a bit slow at the mo, but this article is comprehensive and shows how quickly the site can react to current events.
• Blogger group blog
• World Changing post - more links to first hand reports
• Boing Boing coverage - even more links and info.