Everyday citizens can gather information and report on stories, and they dont need to work as a journalist to do it. Role of citizen journalism in strengthening societies 112 margalla papers 2011 background citizen journalism is a new sort of news creation, which has been discussed by various scholars. Citizen journalists have disrupted newsmedia ecosystems by challenging the veracity and representativeness of information flowing from mainstream newsmedia newsrooms. Additionally, the impact of citizen journalism in traditional media, particularly during occupy, can be seen as way pravindharan balakrishnan university of. The emergence of citizen journalism also known as participatory journalism can be traced back to the 1988 us presidential election.
A primer on the definition, risks and benefits summary this section defines citizen journalism and looks at the look at the benefits and risks and also looks at some of the main debates in communications research. The role of social media in the arab uprisings pew. This type of journalism is regarded as uncensored and raw that is portrayed to the public with people other than professional journalists. Citizen journalism is to journalism what democracy, the active participation of citizens, in politics and civic life, is to governance. The effects of citizen journalism in politic and international relations at first glance, we may argue that the phenomenon of citizen journalism can provide invaluable news and count it as positive force for society. Citizen journalism is the basis of democracy that encourages citizens to actively participate in social processes. Harrison is a professor of communication in the department of communication at the university at albany, state university of new york. Citizen journalism, as a form of alternative media, presents a radical challenge to the professionalized and institutionalized practices of the mainstream media. Citizen journalism has been associated with the development, dissemination, and usability of web publishing software.
Judging the credibility and professionalism of citizen journalism versus professional journalism caroline christiansen hood department of communications, byu master of arts because of the advent of the internet, traditional journalism is changing. Citizen journalism has expanded its worldwide influence despite continuing concerns over whether citizen journalists are as reliable as trained professionals. Osfhandbookscitizen journalism and the internetproof2. Pros and cons of citizen journalism vision launch media. The impact of journalism and journalist working practices have changed enormously. The handbook of journalism studies kerala media academy. The rise of citizen journalism in nigeria a case study of. Citizen journalism offers a great opportunity in countries where the media, especially the mainstream media, are limited. This article analysis the role of citizen journalism in the society and its impact. It will examine whether the increased proliferation of citizen journalism has had an effect on the traditional practices and roles of professional journalism. Citizen journalism, journalism that is conducted by people who are not professional journalists but who disseminate information using web sites, blogs, and social media. The aim of citizen participation was to provide accurate, reliable and relevant information in line with the ethos of a democratic society.
Citizen journalists open blogs on their own or are given the opportunity by large newspapers to publish on their website in bloglike formats. On the whole, citizen journalism in india has probably had the most impact when it comes to everyday civic engagements in witnessing and sousveillance, that is, citizen documentation of the powerful from below in contrast with the powerfuls surveillance of citizens from above. The aim of this thesis is therefore to answer the question of what impact the rise of citizen journalism has had on professional journalisms traditional ideal of objectivity. It began as a reaction to mistrust in mainstream media. George nyabuga who spearheaded this study and all the respondents whose input and opinion enriched chapters in this report. The development of journalism in the face of social media a study on social medias impact on a. The effects of gratifications on intention to read citizen. Role of citizen journalism in strengthening societies 110 margalla papers 2011 sometimes, tv channels provide technical support to citizen videographers who provide their reports to them. How citizen journalists impact the agendas of traditional.
Citizen journalism and its impacts on professional journalism in. It has had a significant impact on todays news, with many believing that citizen journalism is a threat to professional and traditional journalism. The spectrum is large and hardly explored due to its constant change. Pdf the rise of citizen journalism and how it affects traditional. The popularity of citizen journalism has spread over the world in this day and age. Mainstream media like television, radio and newspapers used to be the only sources of news in the pre internet era. Ive been side by side with nonprofessionals who have been tear gassed, pepper sprayed, pushed around b. We know little about cj and its political and social impact in nondemocratic societies. Advanced technology includes the tools for everyone to publish their thoughts, feelings. The impact of citizen journalism on the public sphere matthias ritters essay. The recent rise of media in pakistan has created opportunities for its use to influence reforms for.
Businesses know that citizen journalism has a lot of potentials and that this area is a growing and underdeveloped area. Prior to that fateful day citizen journalism was an idea, australian. Citizen journalism is one of the most important revolutions in media since the invention of the printing press in the 1440s. Sara magee, an associate professor and the chair of the communications department at loyola university maryland. Its benefits are that audiences witnessing incidents can post eyewitness accounts on the internet as soon as they happen or send a report and photos to the media. How citizen journalists impact the agendas of traditional media and. Equally, the different forms of citizen journalism now classified as ugc such as mobile phones, face book, blogs, youtube, wikipedia, twitter, et al will be examined within the nigerian context. Impact of citizen journalism amateur producers on world of commercial broadcast content production. It is our hope that the handbook, when taken as a whole, provides a sense of journalism research on a global scale, covering not just. In times of crisis like the boston marathon bombings, citizen journalists provide the fastest, and sometimes the only, information citizen. As a part of one of my projects for mercys mentor program, i conducted two interviews about citizen journalism s impact on professional journalism.
The impact of citizen journalism on the public sphere matthias ritters essay communications journalism, journalism professions publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or. Twitter, facebook and blogger, have given everyday citizens the ability to. In covering what some deemed the facebook or twitter revolutions, the media focused heavily on young protesters mobilizing in the streets in political opposition, smartphones in hand. A report by amanda harper link to shorthand citizen journalism. According to flew, there have been three elements critical to the rise of citizen journalism. But if it is to truly make a lasting impact for good, citizen journalists need to understand their own responsibilities when it comes to bias, the law and. Pdf this article seeks to address the impact of social media and citizen journalism on mainstream russian news by asking those engaged. This thesis sets out to answer the question of what impact the rise of citizen journalism has had on the traditional journalistic ideal of objectivity.
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. The purpose of this study is therefore to show how the prevalence of citizen journalism has changed the traditional way of journalism to an extent that most people in zimbabwe rely on citizen journalism for the consumption and distribution of messages. The impact of citizen journalism on the public sphere grin. While citizen journalism is welcomed by many, it is also considered a hindrance by others. So big media houses have taken a uturn and have opened up their doors to the public to share information and views. This journalistic innovation is said to help improve local economies, sharing substantial information to remote corners of the globe. Implications of citizen journalism on the main stream. Often newspaper readers get online a discussion platform among the articles provided. A case study of kenya broadcasting corporation television mary atieno onyango k50722662011 this research project is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of master of arts in communication studies in the. While much of the western world has moved on from that, media is often controlled by a certain group, making citizen journalism a vital part of the opening up of reporting to everyone. Role of citizen journalism in strengthening societies abstract. Rufus giwa polytechnic, owo, ondo state, nigeria abstract this paper looks at the implication of new technology on the practice of journalism especially the use of internet to produce, disseminate and receive information. One need only catch a breaking news event to see citizen journalism s dramatic impact on todays society.
The impact of citizen journalism on the established journalism industry, and its role in the future news media mix, remain key topics in current journalism studies research, not least in the context of the current. A growing form of journalism called the citizen journalism, also called the. Citizen participation in the media, or contribution of user generated content or citizen journalism as its commonly known is a growing phenomenon in some ways. Thesis the development of journalism in the face of. And since then, the violent and sectarian unrest in syria has brought increased attention to the role of citizen journalism. The impact of citizen journalism on gate keeping process. For example, one video that was shared on youtube on 1 june 20, known as hardworking hawker, showed police brutality. A study on challenges posed by amateurs by rabia noor citizen journalism is a rapidly evolving form of journalism, which has enabled ordinary people to report newsworthy situations around them. Based on the uses and gratifications literature and the cognitiveaffectiveconative framework, the effects of gratifications on attitude i.
Citizen journalisms impact on crisis management tue. Pdf what are the features of citizen journalism and. How citizen journalists impact the agendas of traditional media and the. Citizen journalism sites overtly acknowledge mass media sources and use them as input for their own coverage. When a young man rammed his car into a gathering of students at the ohio state. This is the essence of gate watching according to brunce, then. Citizen journalism was once hailed as a revolution that would make newsgathering a more democratic process one that would no longer solely be the province of professional reporters. Citizens are not only being informed but they are also the informers new mediums like the web make this easier and more accessible citizen journalism has provided a need for citizen journalism sites in order to help propel this new medium. Citizens reporters do not do this kind of journalism because it is their job, but because of the way they want to improve society. Pdf the paper aimed to examine citizen journalism and its impacts on. It involves active participation of citizens in newsgathering and reporting.
It is also one of the most hotly contested phenomena within politics, economics, industry and of course, journalism. Her research interests include the uses of social media and new technologies in digital government contexts, online public opinions, media effects, and citizen journalism. Citizen journalism in society and its impact on traditional journalism. In fact, more and more people have begun to take advantage of becoming content publishers.
The impact of digital technologies and internet on media and journalism in kenya7 acknowledgements the media council of kenya extends its sincere appreciation to dr. Citizen journalism is a term used to refer to ordinary individuals who act as. This paper investigates gratifications of reading citizen journalism news by applying the research model drawn from the uses and gratifications approach, and the cognitiveaffectiveconative framework. Impact on the media citizen journalism has given the media a new set of fact checkers. Statement of the research problem citizen journalism generally epitomizes the belief that the experiences of people personally involved with an issue present a different and often more complete picture of events than can be derived from the perspective of an outsider.
Pdf the impact of social media and citizen journalism on. Citizen journalism has been widely cited as revolving the field of journalism. Citizen journalism is a branch of reporting that is led by the public. 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 enables individuals, who are previously excluded from essential information, to increasingly participate in disseminating information to advance their wellbeing. Using indepth interviews, this study examines the case of a citizen collective to understand the interconnections between citizen journalism, mobile devices, and social media in disaster response. Ive covered a lot of protests, disasters, and other events as a professional journalist, and i have a lot of respect for citizen journalists. The handbook of journalism studies sets out to comprehensively chart the fi eld and defi ne the agenda for future research in an international context. Judging the credibility and professionalism of citizen. This can be seen in tv news, such as photographs of snowfall in the winter, car accidents, or local sports events. The mapping of the citizen journalism literature revealed four types of citizen journalists based on their levels of editorial control and contribution type. The impact of citizen journalism on the public sphere. One part of this study was to assess how the rise of citizen journalism is affecting professional journalism practices. Citizen journalism is the dissemination of information by people who are not professional journalists.
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