Citizen journalism

 “A wide range of activities in which everyday
people contribute information or
commentary about news events.” (Educause
Learning Initiative (2007))
 “The collection, dissemination, and analysis
of news by the public, by means of cell
phones, digital cameras, blogs, etc.” (Google
Dictionary)

 The rise in citizen journalism corresponds
with the growth in new communication and
information technologies.
 These new technologies that serve as media
for internet based social interaction are
known as “social media”.
 Through social media websites, such as
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs,
citizens can report their own experiences and
eye witness accounts.

 2009 Iranian uprising broadcasted through
Twitter updates through users, such as
Change_For_Iran

 Landing of a plane in the Hudson River, New York on January
15, 2009 by Twitter users who witnessed the landing, such as
Janis Krums below

 Salam Pax (b 1973)
 An Iraqi blogger who chronicled events of the
Iraq War on his blog through 2002 to 2004.
 Dubbed “most famous blogger in the world”

 Originally Citizen Journalism was confined to
a few non professional reporting sites, such
as NowPublic and CyberJournalist.
 However, now use of blogs, wikis, digital
storytelling applications, photo- and video-
sharing sites, and other online social media
serve as vehicles for citizen journalism
efforts.

 The growth of citizen journalism has reduced the place of
traditional newspapers and news outlets as the main source
of current events.

 At the same time, social media websites, such as Twitter, have seen an
explosion in growth during the same period.

 Citizen Journalism has transformed the
power relationship between the media and
the public.
 As a result, traditional media outlets have
attempted to harness the power of citizen
journalism through collaboration with user
generated content and social media.

 Examples of cooperation between media
outlets and citizen journalism include:
 BBC’s User Generated Content Hub
 Rueter’s partnership with blogging network
Global Voices
 CNN’s I Report

 Users can submit videos, audio, and photos from their
cell phone or computer to have their stories shared on
CNN’s network television channel and website.
 Through I Report, CNN harnesses the power of citizen
journalism to convey breaking news and unique
perspectives in a way traditional media does not
allow.
 However, as will be seen, this collaboration between
the media and citizen journalism holds significant
benefits and drawbacks that must be accounted when
providing quick and reliable information.

 Increased speed and access to information
 Traditional media is limited by access to resources
and time to communicate events to the public.
 Citizen Journalism greatly increases the range of
sources for events and the speed with which they
can be communicated.
 For instance, coverage of 2009 Iranian protesters
by participants and observers where traditional
media was prohibited in Iran.

 Personal feedback
 It extends the belief that the experiences of
people personally involved with an issue present a
different—and often more complete—picture of
events than can be derived from the perspective
of an outsider. (Educause Learning Initiative
(2007))
 For example, Salam Pax’s chronicles of the Iraq
War

 Improved trust and interaction with local
media
 Research has shown that traditional news outlets
believe that participation by readers improves the
quality of the news, and such participation tends
to increase the trust that the community has in
the news and media.
 For example, CNN’s I Report

 Reduced Quality of Content
 Amidst the diverse array of information and
sources, discerning between important and trivial
content becomes costly and time consuming.

 Reduced Reliability
 Much of the information gathered from citizen
journalists may be false or partially inaccurate.
 While conscientious professional journalists are
careful to separate supportable evidence from opinion
or speculation, many citizen journalists have a weaker
sense of what constitutes a reliable story.
 If the media relies too heavily upon citizen journalists
for information, consumers may begin to distrust the
media.

 Citizen journalism has become a powerful
tool to unite the media and the public to
produce quick, reliable, and detailed stories,
which neither group could accomplish alone.
 This collaboration has begun to revolutionize
the way in which we obtain information
about current events.

 Nevertheless, the rise of citizen journalism
poses significant risks that could reduce the
quality and reliability of information
distributed to the public.
 As a result, citizen journalism will likely
continue to influence and play a role in
traditional media yet never fully replace it.

Citizen journalism

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