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Newspapers are shuttering left and right, and the nation's papers of record are losing money. But while the number of traditional journalists dwindle, a new kind of newsgathering is booming, particularly in covering the political upheaval in Iran.

More people are reporting on breaking news, capturing events and participating in mass communication than ever before. And this new kind of journalism — citizen journalism — is all happening without newspapers. America is encouraging democracy and emboldening untold numbers of citizen journalists through new media websites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

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Social Media blog Mashable.com is reporting some striking numbers about the Twitter volume about Iran. Mashable says there have been nearly a billion tweets on Iran's political upheaval, with between 10,000 and 50,000 per hour mentioning the country.

It's a good thing the U.S. State department convinced Twitter to hold off on some planned maitenance that would have shut down the site: there were nearly a quarter million Tweets on the topic during that time period

Twitter Comes Of Age, Plays A Role In Iranian Election

Twitter messages consist of simple 140-character SMS, so without confiscating cell phones, it can't be controlled by the government. There's perhaps no better insight into the moment-by-moment experience in Iran than following '#iranelection' on Twitter. Facebook helped Iranians organize demonstrations and share photos and news updates with their friends. YouTube has become a platform for videos of riots in Tehran, and the website is featuring videos that answer the question "What is democracy?"

Citizen journalist startup Demotix.com features a combination of coverage from contributors in Iran and unedited Twitter feeds from Iranians. The site, shares the coverage with a wide audience. But perhaps more important, BBC, Reuters, and other mainstream news platforms are turning to Demotix to get perspective from the ground, putting communication from the site's freelance journalists and amateurs on a mass stage.

On CNBC.com: Slideshow: Evolution of Wireless Communication

Why aren't newspapers in on the citizen journalism action? Were newspapers so fearful of allowing non-professionals contribute that they didn't consider that non-professionals could add perspective from places where journalists might not be?

Amateurs will never replace professional journalists. I'd like to think that objective, trained professionals will always provide unique analysis. But there's no doubt that the perspective of untrained citizens can be invaluable. Iran has put a spotlight on the key role empowered individuals can play in transmitting news.

The social tools of America's web 2.0 are key in making the kind of crack-down on information the Iranian government might like, impossible. I can't help but think that traditional news operations would be wise to think about incorporating a range of voices into their coverage. I'd expect a link to Demotix or Twitter feeds on hot topics to boost traffic, which would help save their businesses.

Update: Social Media blog Mashable.com is reporting some striking numbers about the Twitter volume about Iran. Mashable says there have been nearly a billion tweets on Irans political upheaval, with between 10,000 and 50,000 per hour mentioning the country. It's a good thing the US State department convinced Twitter to hold off on some planned maitenance that would have shut down the site: there were nearly a quarter million Tweets on the topic during that time period.

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