Social media networks like Twitter and Facebook have become part of the fabric of news stories — or the story itself — in recent years, notably during the Arab Spring. But in the hours after the Aurora shooting, the abundance of eyewitness journalism and conversation on Reddit turned the news aggregator into a surprising source of information on a national story. Reddit is a notably utilitarian site — it doesn’t have flashy design and it has no formal editorial structure — but thanks to the engagement of its community, the site keeps its audience up to date. Like many social media sites, however, there’s no guarantee of accuracy.

Jones, who made corrections to his timeline in real time as more information came in, says the Reddit community’s demand for transparency keeps his work accountable. —NPR.