Citizen journalism is a new and fast growing media phenomenon which is generated by the participation of global citizens through new technologies. It is when citizens, quoted by “We Media”, play "an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating news and information".
In citizen journalism, anyone can be a journalist without being professionally trained. Using devices such as mobile phone, digital camera, video recorder and the internet, anyone can produce and share news around the world. With the common use of the internet, blog is now a popular tool used by citizen worldwide to communicate and share news.
It is worth to note that in these days, a lot of news contents which we hear on the news and radio, or read on the newspaper and magazines are submitted by citizens to the media companies. Programs such as “You Witness”, created by Yahoo, allow citizen to submit newsworthy images taken with mobile phones to be in the company’s news outlet. However, it set off alarm bells among professional journalists and photojournalists.
Main stream media encourages citizen journalism and continues to seek sources from citizens as the companies can make more profit by selling stories which interests the audience and by cutting the cost of hiring professional journalists.
From all the shocking mobile phone images and videos uploaded to internet sites by Iran citizens during the recent Iran election incident, to those blurry photos taken on mobile phones by locals who have spotted Miranda Kerr sun baking on Manly beach.
Either to speak an uncensored truth about the world or simply to entertain, the importance and influence of citizen journalism is undeniable.
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"cutting the cost of hiring professional journalists"...seems like i'd better to reconsider my ideal job...XD
ReplyDelete"the importance and influence of citizen journalism is undeniable"...indeed, obviously, citizen journalism has gradually become the part of the mainstream media and communication forms. Therefore, by the way, how do you think if there is one day newspapers are replaced by blogs or TV news are replaced by programs such as “You Witness”..?