Bridge Coverage Mixed Traditional and New Media

Last week’s I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis was truly a national and international news story.

The coverage simply dominated mainstream media. According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ), it was the fourth-biggest news story of 2007:

According to PEJ’s News Coverage Index for July 29-Aug. 3, the bridge disaster filled 25% of the newshole of TV and radio airtime and print and online space, making by far the biggest story of the week. It was the top story in every sector of the media and was a dominant TV news story, accounting for 29% of last week’s broadcast network coverage. That was particularly true on cable, where it filled 43% of the airtime.

For a visual illustration, see this collection of newspaper front pages from August 2.

Even journalists-in-training were on the front line. Student reporters and photographers at the University of Minnesota (just a few blocks from the scene) captured amazing photos and stories and shared them with the AP.

Most of us relied on these traditional outlets for the latest news and they all covered the story exceedingly well. But the number – and the impact – of new media and other technology-enabled alternatives cannot be overlooked.

Consider this sampling:

• Blogs, Twitter and Wikipedia (registration required for this overview story) lit up with first-person updates within minutes of the disaster.
• Flickr quickly became a central source of photos.
• CNN relied on citizen journalists through its I-Reports, while FOX countered with its uReports.
• Local news and commentary sites (such as Minnesota Monitor) added their perspectives.
• The New York Times added a blog to the top of its home page with the latest updates and comments.
• A Facebook group formed quickly and now has more than 10,000 members.