Exclusive! Citizen-journalist photographs Henry Louis Gates in handcuffs

When a prominent black scholar at Harvard University was arrested by police for entering his own home, it became a political storm.

And when a neighbour reached for his camera and uploaded the photograph to Demotix, a new chapter in the story of citizen-journalism was written.

The photograph of Professor Henry Louis Gates in handcuffs has become iconic.

The image was licensed by almost all the major networks and news programmes in the United States. The three major network news programmes - CBS, ABC and NBC News with Brian Williams, all licensed the image, and CNN continue to broadcast the image as part of their rolling coverage. Inside Edition, the news magazine show, will also air the image across the United States.

In print, it was published by the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and the Herald, New York Daily News and the New York Post. The image made the front page of the Guardian newspaper in the UK.

Why is this photo important?

Without citizen-journalism, it would not exist. A member of the public, witnessing a story unfolding, reached for his digital camera and captured the story. This is different to the Twitpic of the plane on the Hudson river – then, the world's media was just a few minutes behind. During Mr Gates' arrest, no professional photographer was present. This was a true exclusive, by a true citizen-journalist.

And without this photograph, a valuable insight into the episode would be lost. Some have argued that the sight of an old man in handcuffs proves that police overreacted; others that the presence of black officers during his arrest undermines claims of racism. Either way, the photograph has become an essential part of the story.

This image marks a new and exciting development for Demotix. As more people think of themselves as potential citizen-journalists, more pictures of this type will be taken. Our role at Demotix is to make the next step – sharing this photograph and getting it into newspapers and bulletins around the world.