Bild Recruits Snap-Happy Army

A German newspaper is offering cut-price cameras in an attempt to build a network of ‘citizen journalists’.

The tabloid Bild has partnered with supermarket Lidl to sell pocket-sized cameras to the more active elements of its home audience and participants in its reader-reporter initiative.

With a 2GB memory and USB port, the camera can be used to shoot both still photos and short video films.

According to a spokesman, the company hopes that people will use the £60 cameras to produce visual content for the Bild website and provide shots of events that the newspaper’s journalists can’t cover.

“We think it is an advance for journalism,” said Michael Paustian, a managing editor at Bild.

He added: “We’re not YouTube ... every contribution will be viewed, reviewed and journalistically evaluated.”

The media group has not yet revealed whether users will be rewarded for these contributions with cash or prizes.

Read the full story from the Associated Press here.