Citizen journalists tackle mystery feet case

The investigation into British Columbia’s (and now Washington state’s) “mystery feet” has already made headlines around the world.  Now, the mostly unsolved cases concerning human feet that have washed ashore are freshly targeted by the eager lens of citizen journalists Ian MacKenzie and Matt Anderson.

The duo recently published their 6-minute and 14-second video (now, that’s certainly beyond 90 seconds) on VancouverIAM.com.

“It’s (VancouverIAM.com’s) an alternative news portal that fosters citizen journalism,” MacKenzie explained in an e-mail to Beyond90Seconds.com.

“SeattleIAM.com just launched along with LosAngelesIAM.com. Independent video journalists are encouraged to produce segments on issues important to them that may not be covered by the mainstream media (or cover them in a unique way),” MacKenzie continued.

So, what was it about the mystery feet case that captured the interest of these citizen journalists?

“Matt and I took on this story because it’s quite an unusual mystery that gained the world’s attention.  We wanted to check in on the case and see if anything new had been discovered,” MacKenzie shared.

Along the way, the pair interviewed a person who is very familiar to those who have followed the story in the mainstream media, Constable Annie Linteau of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The video also includes interviews Jeff Dolan of the British Columbia Coroners Service and local news radio host Jim Goddard.

At VancouverIAM.com, the video appears beneath the headline, Are Police Any Closer To Solving The Mystery Of The Floating Feet? The story is nicely edited and maintains a pace and style that should help hold the attention of a 20-something audience as well as older viewers.

MacKenzie told Beyond90Seconds.com that he directed, shot and edited the video while Anderson embraced the research and on-air reporting duties.

Congratulations to both of these citizen journalists for delivering a project worth watching to the ever-broadening alternative media landscape.

The video is shared here with their permission.

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