Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing ad disseminating news and information” [1] This concept, by authors Bowman and Willis, shows that the purpose of this involvement in providing reliable, accurate, relevant and independence information needed for a democratic country. Citizen journalism does not require the reporter to be a professional journalist nor does it require the reporter to have professional training. A freelance journalist, Mark Glaser, once wrote,
The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-check media on their own or in collaboration with others. [2]
Cyber media does not necessarily require news updates to be written by a professional. However the advantage of cyber media is its immediacy. Nowadays most people check news online because it’s the fastest place to read up on the latest updates. It’s easily accessible and you can review multiple sources at the same time to determine the relevance and accuracy. What I think is the amazing thing about cyber media is the fact that you can compare difference news coverage around the world to receive the most accurate piece or news.
[1] Bowman, S. and Willis, C. We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information. The Media Center at the American Press Institute. 2003. Print.
[2] Mark Glaser. "Your Guide to Citizen Journalism". Public Broadcasting Service. http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/your-guide-to-citizen-journalism270.html. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
I agree with your last statement, about being able to compare different news stories. It is a very good point, and something many people do.
ReplyDeleteFor example, when Gabrielle Giffords was shot, there were differing news stories coming in -- some saying she has been killed by the bullet, others saying she was still alive and in the hospital.
Thank you Kayla for your comment. On top of my last point that I made in my blog, I also like the fact that I get to see how different media sources portrait the same story. You get very different point of views from different news sources and It is fascinating to wonder the reasons for this inconsistent reporting.
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