As we mourn and learn more details concerning the Virginia Tech tragedy we are paying special attention to the effect citizen journalism is having on mass media’s dissemination of information. In particular, cell phone and various other video produced by the Virginia Tech community is making its way to the big news networks, who are prominently featuring this content on both their web properties and TV broadcasts. With their I-report feature, CNN is one such network that is making it very easy for viewers to submit text messages, audio and video of news events as they break.

One such reason networks are rushing to facilitate the use of user generated content is pretty obvious. Instead of relying solely on a staff of reporters and affiliates, a network can maintain a troop of millions of eyes and ears who are tech-savvy and have the equipment to capture events as they unfold. However, I suspect there may be another reason for the flux of this content.

As media outlets attempt to cut costs in hopes of higher profits, user-generated content becomes an attractive alternative. Besides the fact that news outlets can keep a lower staff if the amount of user content remains high, the outlets also don’t have to pay fees to obtain photographs or videos from professionals and instead settle for the free real-time content that is submitted right to their inbox from their own site.

Keep track of the popularity of user-generated content being used by the big networks; it may be a preview of how the news will look in the years to come, a view that could originate from me or you.