Got a Camera? You, Too, Can Be A Network Reporter

Some stories might not exist without cellphone cameras, such as the footage of Michael Richards's racist rant at a comedy club. And such footage can be valuable. TMZ.com, the gossip site that pays for information, obtained the Richards video.

The rise of citizen newsgathering is changing the news business in subtle ways. It's an extension of the Facebook culture, in which members post hundreds of pictures of themselves, and the YouTube ethos, where pointing and shooting can capture "macaca"-type embarrassments. And it sends a signal that anyone, not just well-dressed professionals with good hair and a resonant voice, can be a journalist.

Don't Touch That Dial

The network newscasts are stepping up efforts to grab you -- in the opening seconds.

On "NBC Nightly News," Brian Williams has junked the old introduction, in which he was the unseen narrator as video of stories and headlines rolled, following the names of each of his predecessors back to John Cameron Swayze. The new opening is quicker and more conversational, with Williams on screen as graphics appear in a box over his shoulder.

While he had been puzzled by viewer complaints that "waiting one full minute for me to come on is punishment," Williams says that partially ad libbing in front of the camera -- and in a less booming voice -- "fits my style better. I think it's higher energy. Seeing someone standing there is better than hearing someone's voice."

The sequence is similar to the intro on ABC's "World News," in which Charlie Gibson simply stands and reads the headlines.

The "CBS Evening News" has gone in the opposite direction, yanking the opening in which Katie Couric took a step forward to a quick burst of music. In its place is a longer, magazine-style beginning -- with more footage and sound bites from the day's news -- and Couric appearing on screen only briefly.

"It brings an energy and content to the program that is much better than what we were doing," says Executive Producer Rick Kaplan, adding that it resembles the introduction he used when he worked at "Nightline." "What's important is: What are the stories we are covering? . . . We're by no means trying to hide the anchor. She's reading the headlines."

No Dice on Rice

The secretary of state has always been considered a prize catch for the Sunday talk shows. But when the White House offered Condoleezza Rice for appearances eight days ago, after a week focused on Iraq, two programs took the unusual step of turning her down.

Executives at CBS and NBC say Rice no longer seems to be a key player on the war and that her cautious style makes her a frustrating guest.

"I expected we'd just get a repetition of the administration's talking points, which had already been well circulated," says Bob Schieffer, host of CBS's "Face the Nation," who questioned two senators instead. "We'd had a whole week of that with General Petraeus and President Bush. I thought it was more important to get a sense of where the Senate Republicans were."

Tim Russert, moderator of "Meet the Press," who also hosted two senators, declined to comment on why he turned down Rice.