I thought this YouTube video was a great way to start a blog about Citizen Journalism, so check it out!
Now lets talk Citizen Journalism!
Citizen Journalism allows anyone with access a computer and the internet to be a journalist. Citizen Journalism is like a paddock without a fence where cows can walk right in from anywhere they please, and shit wherever they like. I know a little extreme simile but hey this is a blog right, lets go crazy! And I think you can get the idea, it’s open, it accessible, people can jump on the net and write about their son’s soccer game or how they feel about the recent swine flu outbreak. Personally I think it’s aporkalyptic!
Ok maybe it’s time to get a little more serious this is a blog for university! so what really is Citizen Journalism, Citizen Journalism is effectively the idea that users can use the web to report on news and current affairs. Everyday people can use the internet to contribute themselves to the world around them. This has come about as a result of web 2.0. Web 2.0 is the name given to what I see as the interactive internet. Where people can collaborate, contribute and network within online communities.
Citizen Journalism can best be looked at through it’s examples ohmynews is a South Koren website established in 2000 and it’s slogan is ‘ever citizen is a reporter’ another example is the website youth noise. Youth Noise is a website for young citizen journalists it provides young people with the ability to contribute to online debates, forums and blogs and is a prime example of citizen journalism.
Alright so there’s the basic gist of what CJ is, now what impact is Citizen Journalism having on society? It is impossible to discuss every impact that citizen journalism has on society, however one impact of particular interest to me and which is discussed by Terry Flew in his book New Media: An Introduction, is the idea that Citizen Journalism allows for new ideas and opinions to be expressed within state-controlled media countries. Flew uses the example of Indonesia, Flew suggests that there is a relationship between the rise of the internet and the gradual democratization of Indonesian politics and society. Flew suggests that the internet namely Citizen Journalism has been embraced as a method by political activists and reformers, becoming a vital factor of commentary on elections and political affairs within Indonesia since the first free elections in 1999. This has allowed for democracy to develop within Indonesian society. The ability to post news and information onto the web which would otherwise not make it onto news within such countries allows for a sense of egalitarianism to develop. Although this is a brief outline of only one specific impact Citizen Journalism has on societies, it does provide a basic idea that Citizen Journalism is in a sense a BIG DEAL, it is a social trend which is question the role of traditional journalism, it is effecting societies and invoking debate.
Citizen Journalism breaks down the gates of media control and allows anyone to be a journalist and express their opinions whether this is a good thing or not is a question I’m sure philosophers, academics and citizen journalists themselves will discuss for many years to come.
The opening video, was genious and a creative way to start the blog. Your statement about anyone with a computer and the internet being able to become a journalist, is very true, and unfortunate for jounalist students.
I personally think citizen journlism has opened many doors, for inspiration and creation. Ideally citizen journalism, stems from ‘produsage’ and like mentioned in this blog is a social trend.
The final paragraph sums up the general jist and effect of citizen journalism very well. Especially the term of ‘media control’. This left me wondering can all online content be controlled effectively, these days?
I absolutely love the YouTube video you have featured in this entry! It is simple, straight to the point and really supports your argument. I too agree that citizen journalism has revolutionised the traditional contructs of journalism as a profession.
It is true, like you said that ultimately any Tom, Dick and Harry with a computer can be a citizen journalist, but that is what I like about it. Note to society: It is called citizen journalism, not professional journalism! I don’t think CJs are trying to be traditional journalists, they are simply trying to find an outlet to deconstruct the news as they see it, and for that reason I believe CJ and traditional journalism inevitably form a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.
I believe we couldn’t go back to the way things used to be when print media ruled the world, professional and citizen journalists now could not survive without eachother, in my opinion.
Instead CJ makes for more detailed, comprehensive and ‘real’ mainstream news stories. The power of produsage and its facilitation by the Internet now means that we as a society have become impatient, we want to know everything now, and CJ provides the perfect platform to upload, share and distribute information from first hand accounts.
Of course citizen journalism has its drawbacks, inaccuracies and failings, but ultimately professional journalism doesn’t have a clean slate either!!