MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In the business of TV news, we use pictures, of course, to tell the story, or at least we try. And amateur video has become more prominent in that storytelling. Who could forget, for example, the Rodney King video? CNN's Anne McDermott has more on how the proliferation of amateur video cameras has changed the way we look at the world.</s>ANNE MCDERMOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These were the camera shots seen round the world, the videotaped beating of Rodney King. And suddenly, video meant power. It could turn a man into a symbol of police oppression and it could help touch off a riot. Every day it seems new outrages are captured by amateur camera people. This image, which surfaced last week, allowed television viewers to see a suspect fight with authorities and others after being accused of mowing down kids with his car.</s>UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Oh my God.</s>MCDERMOTT: And suddenly, a local tragedy became a global horror. Money is part of it. News organizations often pay for these pictures, whether they depict scary storms or emotional aftermath. And more home cameras seem to be out there. How else to explain this amazing shot of a Concorde on fire just moments before it plunged to the earth? Or the bombing at a park in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics? Sometimes amateur videotape has less to do with timing or money as ideology. These folks recorded their confrontation with cops at the Democratic National Convention last summer. Rubber bullets or raging storms, weather is always a popular topic, and the more dangerous, it seems, the better. Sometimes, though, amateur camera people take pictures like this, just to prove they're not crazy, that there really is a bear out there enjoying their Jacuzzi. It can help to have proof, whether it's for an unbelievable situation like this or one like this. Anne McDermott, CNN, Los Angeles.
Amateur Video Plays Prominent Role in Society