Citizen journalism is when the public plays an active role in producing and sending journalistic information out into the world. This has come into play in more recent history as anyone with a smartphone and internet connection can record or photograph something that is happening to share it on social media. This has sparked a debate among the journalism community whether or not citizen journalism is “real journalism.” Some argue, especially those who are journalists themselves, that every day citizens should not have the same recognition because they do not have the same experience and qualifications. This is due to the fact that journalists go to school, study, and work for years to be successful in the profession. On the other hand, people promote citizen journalism because they believe that it has major benefits in the Information Society.
Davies Merritt was the first person to bring this idea into fruition when he wrote about civic journalism. Although one has led to the other, people today claim that there is a clear difference between the two terms. Civic journalism is when journalists reach out to their viewers, listeners, and readers to find out what they want to know. This is then allows the journalist to send out the information that the people are interested in. In 1995, Nicholas Negroponte, an American architect, wrote in his book ‘Being Digital’ that the future of journalism on the internet was leading toward the consumers having the ability to have a voice in what they want. This has led to the area of the sharing space that we are familiar with today. With technology continuing to advance, we have had the ability to reach to a new territory where the consumers now have the power to produce their own information. This was something that only the journalists had the power to do through the television and radio prior to Web 2.0 and the integration of social media into everyday life.
There are many benefits that come with citizen journalism. First of all it is free. The only tool it requires is a smartphone which the average person already has invested in and carries with them at all times every day. Additionally, the information that is captured by citizens can add to a story that a journalist has done. For example, if there is a huge fire in California that a journalist is reporting on, they could use video footage from a citizen that was there before the camera crew and the reporter could reach the scene. Today, as this is becoming more and more of a reality, it is important for all citizens to keep in mind the principles of journalism. Some of the most important of these are transparency and precision. This is important in order to establish credibility and trust.
Citizen journalism is affecting the ways that we hear, see, and read the news every single day. Despite the conflict in its upcoming, this is the future. Technology, the internet, and social media have drastically changed the course of many careers in all aspects of life. As this is our reality, it is crucial for users to seize these changes and adapt, especially journalists.
The Yellow Brick Road 