The ‘Wisdom of The Crowds’ And Their Knowledge Of Puerto Rico’s Challenges Six Months After Hurricane Maria: thoughts On David Begnaud’s Experiment On Journalism Crowdsourcing

Abstract

This article analyzes CBS News Correspondent David Begnaud’s experiment with journalism crowdsourcing for his reporting on Puerto Rico’s challenges six months after Hurricane María. It answers two interrelated research questions. First, it examines why journalists and media organizations have experimented with crowdsourcing strategies and whether other journalists could copy Begnaud’s experiment and achieve similar results. Second, using text-as-data methodologies, the article tests the collective intelligence of the people who responded to Begnaud’s request for information. Based on this investigation’s findings, the article shows that followers’ collective knowledge properly estimated Puerto Rico’s many challenges and some of the municipalities most affected by the storm. Even though crowdsourcing journalism is challenging, this article demonstrates that when done right it can enhance the journalistic process.