Assignment Zero Gets the Scoop

Amanda filed this update:

Earlier today Assignment Zero contributor T.T. Thomas reported that the Los Angeles FBI Bureau would disclose the arrest of a sexual predator by citizen tip. [Ed. note: TT's reporting hasn't been edited or fact-checked, and should be read as such.] Assignment Zero may have had their first scoop on crowdsourcing. KGW.com confirmed the news.

What the KGW article doesn't include is the fact that the FBI teamed up with The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Laura Emiller, the Press Liason for the Bureau, explains that "Missing and exploited children doesn't seem to be as newsworthy as it used to be. As we roll out new tools for individuals and communities to use, the kind of help we can expect from the community will increase, and that's important because the crimes have not decreased."

Tracking the story doesn't mean revisiting history, it also means tracking it in real time. Great job, T.T. Thomas, on your work.

If you're interested in the story behind the story, here's a quick Q&A with T.T. on how she got the job done. [Ed. note: it's unedited and long -- but a good introduction to T.T. and her investigation.]