Citizen journalism involves ordinary citizens taking an active role in news reporting through new media, including blogs and social media. It can expose biases in traditional media and offer a different perspective. Some news organizations see it as a threat, while others value user-generated content for building website traffic. Critics worry about the lack of fact-checking, but citizen journalism offers an alternative to traditional news reporting.
Citizen journalism is a concept that advances the idea that consumers or ordinary citizens take a more active role in the news. It is often referred to as “new media” and includes everything from passionate letters to the editor and comments on blogs and news sites, to bloggers who compile stories or expose facts falsified or omitted from traditional media reports. Citizen journalism also emphasizes the biases of particular reporters or news agencies and attempts to give both sides a voice on burning issues.
Sometimes called grassroots journalism, this style of journalism is seen by some news organizations as a threat to journalistic integrity. Citizen journalists, however, believe their methods hold news organizations to higher standards. While news organizations don’t really have a problem with citizen journalism when it comes to citizens bringing in actionable footage they’ve personally captured, some may not always appreciate citizens offering a point of view.
Citizen journalism has been responsible for pictures and footage of things like celebrities or police officers behaving badly and crimes in progress. Citizens have also captured severe weather conditions such as tornadoes and the effects of hurricanes. Kennedy’s assassination was captured by many personal movie cameras and still cameras, and since then, terrorist attacks, bombings and accidents have also been covered by citizens as well.
Some journalists seem to feel threatened by citizen journalists, who have not received any journalism education and may not be fact-checking. Many journalists have spent a lifetime, learning, working and perfecting their craft. Critics from major media outlets say people are tired of the tilt, spin, and feeling of being steered in a particular direction by some news outlets. Instead, they say, the public wants to be given cold, hard facts and allowed to make a decision. Citizen journalism offers another option.
There are also some news organizations that value citizen journalism. User-generated content can be a great asset for building traffic to your website. These media like to listen to citizens and allow comments on their websites, letters to editors and opinions. They encourage citizens to provide tips and videos. Sometimes, they even consult with citizens about stories, which is known as participatory journalism.
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