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Video crowdsourced by colleagues in Athens, editorial and noneditorial, proves a hit

A man wearing a mask walks at the Lycabettus hill as the city of Athens is seen at the background, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The Acropolis and other Athens landmarks took on Martian hues Tuesday as stifling dust clouds blown across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa engulfed the Greek capital. AP PHOTO / PETROS GIANNAKOURIS

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Athens senior producer Theodora Tongas asked her Athens-based colleagues on a group chat following a photo of the sky turning orange. By then, the orange hue caused by dust clouds had engulfed the Acropolis and other landmarks of the Greek capital.

She followed with a simple request: “Is video doable?”

Within minutes, colleagues from all formats and departments began sending clips from various locations: near the Acropolis, from a hill overlooking the city, from a north suburban neighborhood. Even London-based freelancer George Negas, who was visiting his native Piraeus at the time, filmed first and asked Tongas later if his video was needed.

His instincts were right. It was.

Cameraman Srdjan Nedeljkovic skillfully and quickly sent the material to London in an edit that saw almost 500 hits on an astonishing 148 channels in the first 24 hours and grew from there.

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