Over the last few decades, the surge of citizen journalism has been accredited to, in part, a mix of corporate consolidation and an eruption of internet news sources. Newsrooms have been forced into budget cuts, cooperatives, or they simply become bankrupt and shut down. This leaves room for independent, local journalists to report newsworthy items to the public through anonymous or published reader blogs and other mediums.
A citizen journalist is most commonly described as a “public, participatory street journalist who plays a role in collecting, analyzing, reporting, and disseminating news” (“Citizen Journalism”). These reporters, sometimes defined as citijours, may thrive in the news industry, should our traditional news models completely falter. Citizen journalism is not a traditional approach to news reporting, although it can be a credible alternative to today’s news medium dissolution.
Media consolidation has been a trend since the 1980s. Since then there has been a real focus on the bottom line, with cross promoting of content being a major factor in driving focus away from human interest stories (Jamieson 156). A focus on profits, according to a 2004 U.S. survey, asserts that a larger majority of local journalists think that the bottom line is “seriously hurting” the quality of news coverage (Jamieson 158). Since then America has lost many professional journalists due to financial crisis. So, is there a way to create less biased perspectives that assume a higher quality of reporting? Is there a way to fill the void in general?
Small time, independent reporters have a way of reporting the news that really “hits home.” Ordinary people can now use the tools of the media to convey stories of human interest to the public, such as real circumstances involving homelessness and the war on drugs. CNN’s iReport lends consideration to the public by offering “a ‘newsiest’ feature which combines freshness, popularity, activity, and ratings” to readers. An algorithm is used to find out who the top competing reporters are, and how “hot” the story is (Lowensohn).
Florence Chen, an independent writer thinks that, “a citizen journalist may only be one person, but if they are coupled with a community of naturally curious citizens, their blogs, which at one point may not have been taken seriously can reach beyond the ears of a few people” (Chen). By giving insight to an already published story, this may lend new perspective, affecting the public at large. Newsroom budget cuts have allowed non-profit, certifiable journalists, to forge new paths. Some journalists are intent on producing quality news into online blogospheres. Those who work to prove themselves often become paid writers. This new style of reporting contrasts greatly with respect to traditional journalists.
Traditional journalism has become embedded in the hearts and minds of Americans in a different way. Journalists abide by strict standards and deadlines. They work on utilizing facts and presenting fair coverage. However, in contemporary news culture, there are times when traditional journalism and citizen journalism overlap; for example, CNN may be reliant on citizens for multimedia input, whereas citizen journalists utilize information given by mainstream media. Yet controversy remains. The public wants to know who and what the “real deal” is. One perspective is that the news media is transitioning for the better.
The roots of citizen journalism can be seen as far back as Thomas Paine, the pamphleteer. Paine’s pamphleteering brought on a new revolution with the spread of his public works. His goal was to bring about a style of writing that would be suited to the democracy he envisioned (“Thomas Paine”). Likewise, our generation has a mission to give voice through modern invention. We have witnessed the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the police brutality administered to Rodney King-all captured by citizens on the scene using personal recording devices (Glaser). From desk-top publishing to tiny digital cameras to YouTube, the tools of the trade are within everyone’s reach, so why not take advantage of them?
There are several reasons why some people think the news media should not be put into the hands of the public trust. According to professional journalist Mark Glaser, the public think that only a trained journalist can understand the ethics and strictness that encompass news reporting (Glaser). For example, when a ‘citizen journalist’ made the false report that Steve Jobs had a heart attack, it caused uproar, with stocks falling significantly during that time. From the public’s point of view, this is one way that citizen journalism failed.
Skepticism also remains on what really defines a ‘citizen.’ Many people who reside in our country are considered non-citizens. There is also the principal of not recognizing national boundaries. Also, aren’t certifiable journalists’ citizens as well? The terminology surrounding digital news media aids in the confusion of the masses. Slowly, however, citizen journalism is becoming more recognized, and confidence in this style of reporting is increasing due to public education and awareness. Above all, citizen journalism takes control out of the hands of media conglomerates, and gives it back to the public trust by engaging democratic participation through our technological mediums.
Still, the standards for traditional journalism and citizen journalism are arguably not the same. Newsroom politics can vary, but essentially there is a slant, or political diversity, that the public can relate to. John Leo, columnist for the U.S. News and World Report, stated that it does not matter if there are Democrats or liberals in the newsroom, so long as the newsroom’s focus is on balance and diversity; there is enough monitoring to reduce personal bias to ensure this happens (Wilson 90).
Since then the U.S. News and World Report has stopped printing. Joel Stein, a columnist for Time magazine, reported that we are living in an age of individualism, where writers are expected to insert aspects of themselves into stories. Leo’s take on this style of journalism is apprehensive, as he wrote that “perspective is wildly overused” (Stein 84). Citizen journalism is often viewed as too liberal, personal, and not objective enough. It also goes without saying; many think there is no one to monitor online, collective content, except for the individual. Despite the traditional differences, citizen journalism is building a reputation for democratic reporting and monitoring of sources.
Texas Watchdog is an online group that formed to help train citizens to investigate government, make government agencies transparent, and learn effective interviewing techniques among other skills. Texas Watchdog believes that newspaper closings and consolidation have created an urgent need to restore investigative reporting, and bring it back through the Web. This site claims that “many journalism school graduates are ill-prepared for their jobs […] we hope to be a resource for reporters seeking those skills, as well as for bloggers who seek to learn more about digging up their own original content” (Peebles).
Traditional news mediums may not dissipate, but neither will today’s ever-changing news mediums, or the former ‘audience’ who have now taken a stab at reporting. A view of press is changing, and the public is being coerced to change their mindset as well. Citizen journalism offers a good solution to media consolidation. Non-traditional journalists can help to increase the number of investigative stories and increase news quality by being separate from media conglomerates. However, it is up to the individual, citizen journalist or audience, to engage in fact checking; to understand that a story can become distorted without being objective in one’s quest to uncover the facts.
The decline of newspapers has been hard on journalists, but in an effort to retain democracy, citizen journalists can fill the void. Not only this, traditional and non-traditional journalists can work together and benefit from one another by building credibility, and bringing attention to newsworthy items that are of interest to the general public.
Melanie Montgomery - Melanie is a communications graduate, writer of poetry, and a semi-professional photographer. She writes on various topics, and is working ...
