Citizen journalism, good thing or bad thing? Take your pick. The emergence of new technology and the internet has brought along aspiring journalists. Or is it people who want to give their opinion? The gray area is hard to determine. One thing I’ve learned, citizen journalism can be helpful, but it can be a detriment.
We saw how the kids in Brazil were able to start their own citizen journalism program. It helped inspired the future students to join in. They had a platform where they could aspire to be a journalist. In that sense, citizen journalism is a good thing. The program was pushing students in the right direction to become a journalist.
The picture above can illustrate what a problem with citizen journalism is. Their is no fear, which may not be a bad thing, but it can be. If a citizen journalist isn’t careful, they may run into the ethical issues. Matt Drudge, creator of the Drudge Report, broke the story of the Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton scandal (or caught word that Bill Clinton was being questioned). If the story had been false, Drudge would have faced a potential lawsuit. He would have been in violation of the libel law. Both Clinton and Lewinsky, may have sued him. The story turned out to be true.
In December 2011, CNN, a world news organization, laid off at least 50 staff members (www.wired.com). According to the report, CNN was looking in the direction of the Ireport. The problem with the direction of Ireporting and citizen journalism, the professionals are being put out of a job. It is cheaper and easier for a news outlet to have people send in videos of an event. They do not have to pay one of their reporters to go out and cover the event. They can have contributors to a blog, and it’s voluntarily. Good thing? It’s smart, but now the people who want to be a professional are having to find a new avenue to become a major writer. In that respect, people have to think outside outside the box, whether it be starting a blog, contributing to a major blog outlet or they are working harder than everyone to get their chance at writing. In the end, I believe the major news outlets will allow the cream to rise to the top.
One place where citizen journalism has flourished, disasters. The book in class talked about the tsunami of 2004, which was the first event that truly brought citizen journalism to the forefront. The 9/11 terrorist attacks had raw footage from the citizens of New York City, but it took some time for the videos to be gathered. In 2004, technology had allowed for a video to be instantly uploaded and viewed. The tsunami disaster saw videos being posted instantly. The great thing about the raw videos, first hand accounts. We are able to see what happens before any news sites are able to get there. The videos are sad. When you see a person being killed, or you see destruction looming, it really can hit hard. Should it be shown? I don’t know. It’s not for me to answer. Ultimately, it’s up to those who make the video and post it.
Not only are disasters major in citizen journalism, but politics overseas are a major story. The Egyptian revolution was started by social media, then was played out in front of the world. Saddam Hussein’s execution was supposed to be private, but someone recorded the execution, then put it online. Former Libya leader, Muammar Gaddafi, was killed, and then his body was shown on video and in pictures. The visuals may be hard to look at, but I think the people wanted to show he was dead. Citizen journalism did its part. They ensured the rest of the world knew what was going on in their part of the world.
Overall, citizen journalism has changed the way news is reported. You have to be extra careful if you go the citizen journalism route. Know the ethical laws, and be a good reporter. One thing the book taught us, as long as a truthful account is being presented, no one cares if both sides are being reported. They may not be a good thing, but every story has some biased to it. You just have to find a niche that comes across as impartial. My opinion, citizen journalism is on the rise, and it will make it harder for myself and others to land a job in the writing field. With hard work and dedication, the work I produce will allow myself to land a job with someone. Starting a blog would not be a bad thing either. I can find my niche and get noticed.
cphelps2012 