( CNN ) -- A year ago Thursday , I-Report was born . CNN.com launched its I-Report initiative August 2 , 2006 , in an effort to involve citizens in the newsgathering process . Numerous milestones later , I-Report has grown and developed its ability to be an integral component of the network 's coverage . Mark Lacroix photographed the collapsed bridge from his apartment window . On the eve of its anniversary , I-Reporters responded to yet another major news event : the deadly collapse of a bridge over the Mississippi river in Minneapolis , Minnesota . Mark Lacroix sent photos of the scene immediately after the disaster . As the story developed , he provided information about the situation to viewers live on television . Lacroix 's photos were among the more than 450 I-Report submissions sent to CNN within the first 24 hours of the bridge 's collapse -- the biggest response in one day to a single news event in I-Report history . CNN.com readers have long been submitting photos and video , as well as speaking with CNN reporters , during major breaking news events . ( Check out our timeline of I-Report milestones ) » . On April 16 , Jamal Albarghouti sent cell phone video of the Virginia Tech shooting in Blacksburg , Virginia , as the dramatic events were unfolding . More recently , when fireballs began exploding from an industrial gas facility in Dallas , Texas , in July , I-Reporters wasted no time in recording video as smoke and debris rose into the air . Justin Randall was in a convertible during the incident and tried to drive around blast debris on a highway . He sent video of the explosions , showing flames rising high into the air . During a steam pipe explosion in New York , Jonathan Thompson sent video of a powerful surge of steam rising from the ground and rescuers scrambling to secure the area . He followed up later that month by sending footage of repairs being made to the crater left behind . E-mail to a friend .
I-Report initiative launched August 2 , 2006 , on CNN.com . Citizen journalists have participated in CNN 's newsgathering . More than 6,000 I-Report submissions last month .