CNN Asks Audience For Help
Louis Hau 07.31.06, 12:01 AM ET

As part of an effort to incorporate more user-generated content in its news reports, CNN said Monday that it has created a Web site where viewers can send in video and audio clips pertaining to breaking news.

CNN Exchange (www.cnn.com/exchange) will serve as the online center of the Time Warner network's interaction with viewers and Web surfers, highlighting e-mails sent in response to news stories and providing links to blogs maintained by CNN anchors and correspondents.

But the Web site's most important new feature will be a central place for people to upload audio and video files to the network. CNN has solicited user-generated content before, but only for specific news events and without designating an area of its Web site for file uploads. All submissions--or "I-Reports," as the network is dubbing them--will be considered for possible use on CNN's TV and online news reports.

In a statement, Mitch Gelman, CNN.com executive producer and senior vice president, said that "user-generated content has the potential to play a pivotal role in journalism, whether it's online or offline.''