Until recently, the news media controlled information on breaking events. Today, people have camera phones and recording devices in their pockets, and they report the news as it happens. Citizen reporting, or citizen journalism, is a way of informing people of events at the personal level. The Media Giraffe Project calls this “participatory democracy and community.”
Examples of Citizen Reporting
- Criminal activities may be recorded on video surveillance cameras, as well as by innocent bystanders. This type of citizen reporting helps lead to identification of criminals. In the case of crimes involving many people, cell phones are used to text or call for help, as well as record evidence.
- Natural disasters are recorded as they happen, and video and pictures sent instantaneously around the world. People send text messages giving their locations and injuries, which helps rescue crews do the work of assisting survivors.
- Social reporting on environmental or government issues is now attainable by the average person using handheld media. This enables citizens to become media watchdogs. If a news report states that something didn’t happen, yet many people have sent in video and texts stating it did happen, there is proof of the fact from the citizens. These fact checking efforts can be posted to blogs or reported to the news media through op-ed pieces.
Reporting News Via Web 2.0
Frequently people turn to YouTube and other video websites for breaking news. During the presidential elections, videos were uploaded daily of the candidates, their speeches, questions and answers, as well as candid scenes not intended for public consumption.
When individuals report using Web 2.0 media, on social networking sites, people may think they are getting raw, uncensored news. However, personal views can be interspersed with the actual reporting. Some people are better educated than others, leading to different types of bias in the reporting. Other people are simply posting their views to the Web, not intending to present objective observations.
On the other hand, some writers take citizen journalism seriously, and do extensive fact checking and accurate reporting, aspiring to high editorial standards. They may even be part of an organized citizen journalism project.
Organized Citizen Journalism
AfricaNews.com has begun an organized effort to allow individuals to record and report news via cell phone, as it happens around Africa. Local citizens to send in reports, which are then reviewed for editorial quality and posted to the website. Africanews.com actively recruits citizen reporters.
The Citizen Journalism Report is a site devoted to reporting by the people. They invite individuals to post reports to the site. However, reports are not monitored for accuracy.
Global Voices Online aggregates blogs and other citizen media from around the world into one website. Predictably, it includes many personal viewpoints.
The book, We The Media, Grassroots Journalism, By the People, For the People, by Dan Gillmor, predicts that current media will soon give way to citizen journalism. The author sees a shift taking place in how news is made and consumed.
Effects of Citizen Journalism
The immediacy of citizen reporting allows people to see raw, uncensored reports from wide-ranging sources. News junkies may watch events unfold onscreen as individuals upload the videos to social networking sites, video blog sites, and personal websites.
Media by the people and for the people is a reality, thanks to the Internet. It is likely that more citizen journalism sites will appear as more people become involved. However, consumers must still take responsibility for how much to rely on these sources. As with any media reporting, viewers should ask themselves the core questions about the report.
More information about citizen journalism and use of digital images are in the article Visual Communication Literacy Development.
Suzanne Pitner - Suzanne Pitner is a teacher and published writer. A member of RWA and YARWA, she writes fiction as Suzanne Lilly.
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