Friday, October 19, 2012

The Rise and Impact of Citizen Journalism

   In these past few years journalism has undergone innovative changes in its traditional news format.The introduction of citizen journalism has given ordinary citizens opportunities to become part of a global community by providing instantaneous news using a variety of media.

Citizen Journalism Supported by Mainstream Media


   The fervent increase of the Internet’s interactivity paved the way for citizen journalism; more people, now than ever before, understand how they can manipulate the internet for their own  benefit. Since the distribution of information is rapidly changing the idea that news should solely be presented in its traditional manner has also changed. The notion that common people are just as important in providing relevant, important news has been the main fuel for this contemporary movement. Many popular news organizations, such as CNN’s iReport are encouraging citizens to make use of their cell phones and cameras by recording and photographing content that would have otherwise been ignored by news networks.
   iReport states that “looking at the news from different angles gives us a deeper understanding of what's going on [around us].” And Websites such as Citizenside and apps like Signal and Rawporter are joining CNN’s motto by reinforcing this same idea. Anyone can upload customized, compelling material following simple steps. For Signal “users capture media that they then upload to the app with a geo-tagged location and a short caption of around 60 characters.” It’s creator, Mark Malkoun, followed  Instagram’s structure “an idea that has already turned Instagram into one of the hottest digital platform.” These outlets go so far as provided monetary incentives and a shot of 15-minutes of fame in order to promote this unconventional form of journalism. iReporters can “create a profile [and] can “follow” other users, as well as CNN personalities, and can earn awards and “badges” for accomplishments (insert link).” Because of this fervent advocacy and passion for news, citizens across the nation are teaming up with CNN and other companies. This proves that “there’s a strong desire to share visual, mobile stories with the world.”


The Positive Impact of Citizen Journalism

   You may ask yourself why there’s such a strong emphasis on citizen journalism. From mobile apps to traditional media companies it appears that everyone is supporting this media sharing platform. Well unlike major news organizations, citizen journalists have the “opportunity to present a unique perspective
— to breathe fresh air into a society herded by mainstream media.” According to Lila King, CNN’s participation director because “we are all carrying cameras, we all have something to say, and....we all increasingly have an expectation to hear our own voices and see our work reflected in the media we watch.” Journalism is about informing people and citizen journalism gives power to the people. Citizens are able to provide raw, real life material that can never be filtered. And people have the choice of what content they want to receive.
    It also allows “marginalized people to reclaim their voices, to tell their otherwise silenced stories firsthand” which would have rarely occurred in the past 10 years. We have seen how this can be true. In 2010 and 2011 hundreds of videos and photographs surfaced just as the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa were gaining momentum. These videos came from ordinary sons, daughter, mothers, and fathers experiencing the devastating problems firsthand; they were in a sense documenting a historical moment. The world became much smaller and communities more connected. The Hudson River plane crash is another  prime example of how citizen journalists with mobile devices can make headline news with their information. The online world was booming with countless tweets and pictures from eyewitnesses. These images would later be published in blogs, newsrooms, and newspapers. There’s no doubt that because of these citizen journalists people across the nation were informed within minutes when it would have taken several minutes, if not, hours for newsrooms. Citizen journalists help “‘capture the moment, not the aftermath.’”

Issues with Citizen Journalism and Mobile Devices

   Although citizen journalism has received positive reviews from both citizens and media professionals there are several issues that are currently being addressed. Videotaping police activity has been one of the issues. The availability of mobile devices and camera has given citizens various opportunities to record police brutality and shedding light on America’s fractured judicial systems. Incidents such as the beating of Rodney King and other cases of police brutality allows to put “a check on power." Citizen journalist provide balance by acting as a “check and balance to the mainstream press.” Some of these journalist have been able to ruin the careers and reputations of several police officials thorough simple footage and photographs. Mobile devices, if used inappropriately, have the power to completely obliterate an individual’s honor. High profile people such as Anthony Wiener, Chris Lee, and Michael Phelps have experienced first hand how mobile devices can impact a person’s reputation.

   In short, the new wave of technology has given citizens the power to control the media they share with their peers. The concept of citizen journalism and the availability of mobile devices provide a wide varied of raw, unfiltered newsworthy material that adds a different dimension to journalism. As the years and technology progress citizen journalism will continue to prosper.


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2 comments:

  1. I like how in your argument you addressed both the positive and negative sides of citizen journalism. Not many people look at the issues that come with this type of journalism, but it is important to note that with the expansion of technology, consequences come along with that, too. One of these consequences is that stories on the Internet are not always reliable. Because the Internet is so accessible now, citizens think they can just take a picture of an event, upload it to the Internet, and make up a story for what is happening that may not be true. With old fashion journalism, we had a better idea for the truth behind the story. Now, however, you never know what is going to be true or fabricated.

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  2. Introducing and explaining CNN's citizen journalism initiative iReport is an important part of this post. Before reading this specific post, I was under the impression that most news companies feel threatened by citizen journalism. Now, I understand that some news sources are, in fact, encouraging this alternative style of news reporting. iReport and Citizenside embrace individuals' accessibility to current events.

    The article "Livestrong Bracelet: To Wear or Not to Wear?" (http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/living/lance-armstrong-livestrong-legacy/index.html) is an example of the creative network of citizen journalism that Genesis writes about in this blog post. This CNN published article started on CNN’s iReport and quotes other iReport articles throughout the entire piece. The pictures are from other iReport articles, as well. The tag “iReporter” beside a contributor’s name gives a sense of credibility over a random blogger or Tweeter. I can see iReport as a generator of citizen journalism in the long run due to its credible alliance with CNN.

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