Though he doesn't mention "news reporting" specifically, Gillmor, who has championed citizen journalism for years, thinks it's beneficial in general. PBS
Despite his disappointing experience with Bayosphere, Gillmor hasn’t given up on citizen media, and he hasn’t given up one iota on his belief that average folks can expand, fact-check and report on events in their neighborhood and beyond. Far from it. Instead, he is the founder and director of a new non-profit Center for Citizen Media along with the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society.
Q: What is the end goal of citizen media and how can it eventually transform our society? Gillmor: People will pick their own goals. That’s the best part of this, in a way. For me, in the context of journalism, this is about moving toward two things. First, we can’t afford to have an ignorant citizenry; the stakes are too high. Second, I’m convinced that the process of becoming more engaged with current events can lead people to become more active, and even activists. Self-government, if I’m right, is becoming something we do every day, not something we react to (mostly on Election Day, if we even vote). I think that would be a positive development, maybe even a vital one.