PARIS - Indicating that even porn stars have valuable viewpoints about the news, Collin O'Neal made a splash among CNN's citizen journalists last week when he reported about the European reaction to America's president-elect.
O'Neal's video commentary, which focused on a shift in attitude toward Americans abroad - particularly in France - was featured among CNN's "Fresh Picks from iReport.com." The report, "American in Paris," was published under O'Neal's birth name, Shawn Loftis.
"Since the election of Barack Obama, Europeans - and especially the French - have become a lot more receptive and warmer to Americans," O'Neal noted in the comment he uploaded to accompany the video. "Instead of us asking them if they speak English in their language, they offer assistance in English. On the Metro, when people hear me speaking American English on the phone, they smile at me instead of giving me dirty looks as has happened in the past."
The report evidently made an immediate impression on iReport's producers.
"I decided to have a go at uploading a quick video to CNN and was shocked to hear back from a correspondent requesting more information within 15 minutes," O'Neal said. "I was also shocked to get a personal email from a CNN producer asking for my permission to post my story and to further contact me."
O'Neal is the chief executive officer of Collin O'Neal Productions LLC, based in Miami Beach, Fla. The company's holdings include O'Neal's namesake website, the gay XXX studio World of Men and O'Neal's personal blog.
