Citizen Journalism: Is there Controversy Between the Professional Journalist and the Citizen Journalist?

Citizen Journalism: Is there controversy between the Professional Journalist and the Citizen Journalist?

From all of the required readings this week on Citizen Journalism, in an article written by Mary Grace Antony, Citizen Journalism was best described as “the act of a citizen, or a group of citizens, playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information…[in order to] provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires.”  So as we look further into what Citizen Journalism is we will touch on an issue that may be prevalent within the journalism arena.  I gathered from looking at some published videos and other readings about the citizen journalist that there may be some differences in opinion or rift between the professional journalist and the citizen journalist.

What is Citizen Journalism? 

Even though the above-mentioned description of citizen journalism seems to be very accurate it certainly is a mouthful and a lot to analyze.  In looking more into what the citizen journalist is I found another definition of the citizen journalist that I like better.  According to a journalist by the name of Tony Rogers, “Put very simply, citizen journalism is when private individuals do essentially what professional reporters do- report information.  That information can take many forms, from a podcast editorial to a report about a governmental meeting on a blog.  It can include text, pictures, audio and video.   But it’s basically all about communicating information of some kind.”   I found this definition to resonate more at home with me because it was very simplistic.  Often time when I am trying to absorb the meaning of something keeping it simple and to the point helps with bringing understanding to what the writer is saying.  

So getting back to the topic at hand, the Citizen Journalist, in essence does the same thing as the professional journalist but they just don’t have the professional title. One other important thing about citizen journalism is that I think it is primarily found on-line.   These writings may come in the form of, for example, you might see written comments about a governmental or political group meeting that has taken place, or you could see postings pointing out errors or bias from newspaper articles or mainstream media. Or you might take a digital photo of something or some event that is going on within your town or city that is newsworthy and post it online.  Or you might video tape a something of similar nature and post it on a site like YouTube, Snap Chat, Video Tube, or Pinterest.  All these might be considered acts of journalism, even if they don’t go beyond simple observation at the scene of an important event or breaking news headlines. 

When individuals without professional journalism training are allowed to use the same tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, and add to the conversations of the mainstream media and offer other perspectives outside of the mainstream as well. These individuals can sometimes begin to share information that may or may not be completely accurate.  It is so important that, as bloggers we should do our due diligence and research, analyze, and relay, to the best of our ability, the most reliable information we have.  And even if there is any doubt in what we are reporting, then just say that so that readers will know a particular piece of information may or may not be totally accurate.   There can be such an overwhelming feeling of frustration when bloggers are talking about the same thing and saying something entirely different than the next.  What kind of affect does this bring to the world of journalism?   Because this whole world of journalism was once a territorial unit that belonged to well established journalists and media companies.  There is some controversy because many professional journalists believe that only a trained journalist can understand the difficulties and unpleasant experiences that can be associated with reporting the news.  They also believe that there has to be a certain level of ethics involved in reporting the news.  One of the main misconceptions behind citizen journalism is that mainstream media reporters and producers are not the exclusive center of knowledge on a subject- the audience knows more collectively than the reporter alone.  Now, many of these media outlets are trying to harness the knowledge of their audience either through comments at the end of stories they post online or by creating citizen journalist contributors sources for stories.

Because of the web there are so many avenues we can use to provide our topic of discussion and capture whatever events we want. Through all of the internet-based and other wireless technologies it has made it so easy for the world, with a great level of freedom, to be able to get our point of view across to anyone in the world.  Today we live in a time frame where information is available from multiple platforms, and sharing information is easier than ever before.  With the onset of the internet many individuals can gain access to websites, social networks, and blogging tools to help people write about themselves and stories they come into contact with, all readily available to publish and share online.  These tools are also available to the citizen journalist.  And because there has been great importance acquired by social networks and blogs as sources of information, people have made them a permanent part of the puzzle, one which the traditional media must deal with.  Opinions remain divided about the situation but there are those that reject the possibility of non-professional voices but nevertheless they are here to stay.  Without a doubt, social networks, blogs and other online tools have made their existence.  There is still a need for information professionals to publish well-prepared and relevant news stories to the public.