Journalists are typically stereotyped as nosey, biased and overall a nuisance. However, these determined go-getters act as the link between facts and the audience. However as technology continues to advance daily, ordinary everyday people are taking on the role of citizen journalists. This form of journalism is becoming increasingly popular due to the ability of almost always having a phone with recording and picture taking capabilities at our fingertips. However, does this complement or complicate the job of professional industry journalists? There are many mixed opinions as to whether or not citizen journalists are even beneficial or more of an annoyance to the professionals.
An opinion piece written by Christian Trejbal for the Seattle Times states that citizen journalists are hopelessly biased and are unable to separate fact from personal opinion. This can be quite concerning, considering that many, if not all of us, are heavily reliant on social media as a form of news intake. The article also states that research conducted shows that those who rely on social media for news often end up less knowledgeable about current events due to the inaccuracy of citizen journalism. This particularly focusses on majorly important events, such as the global pandemic.
Trejbal also states that professional reporters are trained and therefore more reliable and competent at delivering news content. Journalistic ethics are followed (although this is not always true; I’m sure everyone has encountered fake news online). Ethics are a core value in journalism, and while passion for reporting events as an everyday individual is fantastic, one of the main concerns for this style of reporting is that it is biased and not seen through an impartial viewpoint. Citizen journalists don’t follow journalistic integrity because they technically do not need to. But people are everywhere when awful and wonderful events occur and are able to record and snap footage that a news outlet may not be able to; so it can’t be all bad, can it?
A piece of writing by Rabia Noor suggests that maybe every citizen is a journalist, with our ability to contribute in many ways to society. News outlet sites purely constructed by citizen journalists even exist in India and numbers are on the rise in many countries. Citizen journalism is also trending in the media due to the need for immediate updates on important events. I’m sure I don’t need to tell any of you how devasting the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on all of us. Desperation for news updates on virus transmission rates, the death toll of each country and updates of people we love who are stuck in other countries was and still is, palpable. A Chinese citizen journalist, Zhang Zhan, courageously revealed some of the tragedies, such as the overcrowded hospitals, that occurred last Spring in Wuhan, China; the alleged original hotspot of the Corona virus. Ms Zhang was sentenced to four years imprisonment for her admirable actions.
As I mentioned earlier, social media is very prevalent in our lives. There’s not a lot you can do to escape it, so you might as well join in. Helping a community is an undervalued benefit of both citizen and professional journalism. It can aid places that often struggle to receive help from the press about important issues surrounding a community. Journalists often take one or so angles to report on, depending on the type of outlet they work for and the level of news value of the story, but with citizen journalism, it allows many angles to be covered. In a way, it appears to be more fair, and maybe less intimidating for viewers and readers than the major news outlets are. It is imperative though that both industry and citizen journalists remain focussed on the main goal of journalism: to keep the people informed on important issues that could potentially affect us all.
I think the most interesting stories come from those around us. I’ve spoken to a few professional journalists and while they have agreed with me on some points, there is still a lot of concern about misinformation being spread across the internet. I’m not a professional journalist (yet), so what do you all think? Is citizen journalism helpful or a hindrance in our everyday lives? Would you want to participate in citizen journalism to help keep those around us informed, and maybe even become a journalist yourself? If so, I have some helpful tips below!
How to be a citizen journalist: tips from a wannabe journo
Sources:
Citizen Journalist Now 2020, Advantages and disadvantages of citizen journalism, viewed 24 March 2020, https://citizenjournalistnow.com/index.php/2019/12/20/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-citizen-journalism/
Ford, M 2020, ‘China jails citizen journalist Zhang Zhan to four years after coronavirus reporting in Wuhan’, ABC News, 28 December, viewed 23 March 2020, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-28/china-jails-citizen-journalist-four-years-over-covid19-reporting/13018106
Goyances, M & Gil de Zúñiga, H 2021, ‘Citizen news content creation: perceptions about professional journalists and the additive double moderating role of social and traditional media‘, Profesional De La Información, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1-11, viewed 24 March 2020, http://www.thkjaincollege.ac.in/onlineStudy/journalism/joraCC4Sem2/set2/CITIZEN%20JOURNALISM%20VS%20MAINSTREAM%20JOURNALISM.pdf
Trejbal, C 2020, ‘When you want news, trust the professionals’, The Seattle Times, 31 July, viewed 23 March 2020, https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/when-you-want-the-news-trust-the-professionals/
Student journo 