The «Wisdom of The Crowds» and Their Knowledge of Puerto Rico’s Challenges Six Months After Hurricane María: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 report-ing 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, using Begnaud’s experiment as a case study. Second, using text-as-data methodologies, the article tests the collective intelligence of the people who responded to Begnaud’s request for informa-tion. 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.