Citizen Journalism: The Social Importance is Worth the Risk
The way that people receive news has traditionally been through channels of journalists who report over newscasts or in newspapers. Over the last few decades this has changed drastically. The birth of widespread internet, technology and social media began this revolution of change. Anyone with a smartphone today can instantly capture a story and begin circulating it within a matter of minutes. The occupation of journalism itself carries an inherent risk; whether citizen or professional. In recent history, professional freelance journalists have been killed, jailed and hurt. Citizens who step up and report in dangerous situations may be opening themselves up to this same
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By giving an average person who witnesses an unusual event the ability to record and share it, it opens up the number of stories received by the world. Despite the many positives this provides, it must be remembered that it is one view of the story; that of the citizen capturing it. It is up to the viewer or reader to decide if the story is knowledgeable or just stating an opinion. There are notable situations such as the U.S. Airways flight crash into the Hudson River which was captured in images first by an onlooker before the media had arrived, or the stories and photos that were caught at the time of the Boston Marathon Bombings (Maps of World). This instant capturing of images and stories has been proven to aid in crisis management as officials are able to review the actual footage. Natural disasters reported by citizens in real time have provided administrators information with which to better prepare for emergencies as well (Watson and Wadhwa). CNN has a citizen journalism initiative named iReport as they have realized the value of having access to the photos, reports and stories that those who live in areas where natural disasters occur. Through this initiative they have received photos of floods, tornados, fires and other immediate images that would otherwise not be available to them (CNN). These stories, eyewitness accounts and instant reporting educate even average citizens, especially in light of areas where there is no professional media coverage
It is not uncommon to hear people complaining about what they hear on the news. Everyone knows it and the media themselves knows it as well. Some of the most renowned journalists have even covered the the media’s issues in detail. Biased news outlets have flooded everyday news. We find that journalism’s greatest problems lie in the media’s inability for unbiased reporting, the tendency to use the ignorance of their audience to create a story, and their struggles to maintain relevance.
In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air
New technology has fuelled the expansion with the growth of phone apps, social media formats, smartphones able to capture video and upload instantly onto the web. The public is now recording, documenting, sharing and viewing events as they happen, often before professional journalist or reporters. Technology allows people to view major events in real time anywhere in the world, creating a ‘global village’ in which everyone is connected (McLuhan 1964; cited in Giddens 2013). However, the mass medias of television, radio and newspapers both in print and online, continue to be the mediums the public accesses the news and events on a local, national and international
Chris Master incorporates the ‘duty of journalists [as] to reshape information and get that information to the public’, while this is important and periodically essential, it is his broad knowledge tells us that ‘the best journalism is the journalism to challenge the orthodox, respectfully challenge the public opinion and occasionally deliver bad news’(pg 5). While this is almost evident in Masters’ book, but the fact he did not deliver these stories that seem perfectly fit for ‘today’s journalism’ he attains a kind of benevolence, and consideration for his subjects. As seen in his anonymity, which shows the reader how it is not worth the social and media torment of the journalistic process. Quite powerfully he delivers the calming words that many of us already know, perhaps by our own nature or experience: ‘In order for there to be good journalism, journalists need to find a balance between what they want to present and what the public wants’.
Furthermore, it is evident that every journalist has a different concept of danger and what is hazardous to one person may not be considered hazardous to another. The individual desire to record human tragedy also differs from person to person (9). According to Gabe Mythen, the attraction of citizen journalist to media internet sites is that, “For technophiles, a substantial increase in peer-to-peer interactions has eroded gate-keeping hierarchies as public-based social news sites that set their own topics and agendas. Thus, one of the vaunted distinctions drawn between citizen journalism and professional journalism is that ‘no editor comes between the author and the reader” (Mythen,
In reference to the media’s role, they have been highlighted for playing a part in maintaining these views by portraying victims in a certain way according to the newsworthiness of each story and their selectiveness (Greer, 2007). Furthermore, there has been an increase in both fictional crime programmes and crime documentaries, with Crimewatch particularly becoming a regular part of British viewing. In the modern context, crime has continued to represent a large proportion of news reporting and with the aid of social networking sites and self-publicity via the internet, journalists are now more able to dig even deeper into the lives of people on whom they wish to report. Newspapers continue to keep the public informed with the latest headlines and the internet has also provided opportunities for members of the public to have their input in blogs.
The telegraph “increased the speed with which news could be delivered and made foreign news more widely available than ever before.” (184) Telegraphers, through the use of keys and sounders, were able to have direct communications over the wires with distant colleagues. This was the first time people were speaking “online.” However, soon “ speed was everything; newspapers came to value timeliness at the expense of depth.”(184) When speed is more important than depth it shapes human culture because the public, who depend on the newspapers for accurate information, are not getting the full story they should be. In the modern media environment of today this is a huge problem. Newspapers always want to be the first to report on any happening across the world but now that they have moved to online were events are instantly reported on the competition has gotten has gotten stronger. They chose to report fast rather than fully accurate. Social media has made it so reporters don’t have to flock to the scene instead they can message people that are already there and gather their accounts. The problem that can come from this is verifying the information that they are receiving is truthful or
Self-motivation and determination are two of the main ideals of being journalist. If a journalist does not have the desire to find and report a story, he has no career. A journalist depends on finding the facts, getting to the bottom of the story and reporting to the public, whether it’s positive or negative. Janet Malcom states in the book The Journalist and the Murderer, “Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.” (Malcolm, 3) Her starting words speak volumes about “the Journalist and the Murderer” and the lessons that can be learned.
Communications is fundamental in any plan. During terrorist incidents it crucial to get accurate information to the public. This information allows for individuals to make well-informed decisions in times of disaster. Research has shown according to Newman and Clarke (2008), that the victims of sudden disasters do not panic and if they do, the panic is short-lived. Rather, victims try to help each other. Emergency managers need the media to explain to the public the current situation as it is happening, although during a disaster a growing number of people get their news from social media. “This is why major disaster management centers maintain close links with the press: to make sure that the coverage is accurate, that it does not exaggerate
There are still many factors in journalism and media that need to be rectified “Rather than providing a meaningful analysis of inequality and showing realistic portrayals of life in various social classes, the media either play class differences for laughs or sweep the issue of class under the rug so that important distinctions are rendered invisible” (Kendall 314) however there is no need to lose hope in journalism all together since there are those who are willing to risk their life to inform such as Edward Snowden. There are journalist can improve “Journalists engaged in public listening would be less interested in getting “superficial quotes or sound bites” and instead would move more deeply into the conversations that are actually taking place” (Kendall 328) as long as journalist have a proactive and honest take on news there should be no negative disregard from the public. Throughout the years there has been several large scale murder cases and terrorist attacks on US soil but we have been able to maintain together in this nation with all of the inconsistencies present. We are able to unite in tragedy and stay optimistic so through the rough patches one must stay unfazed. The United States has not fallen through all of the tragedies such as 9/11, Massacres either at a school or a movie theater and natural disasters such as Hurricane
This article focuses on research that reveals the de-professionalization and democratization of traditional journalism. The article explores the consequences of both the relation between traditional journalism and citizen journalism. The author argues that the emergence of citizen journalism is a consequence of the current factors effecting the changes in traditional journalism. The lines between professional journalism content and amateur journalism content have become blurred. The author explains how these factors have shown to affect the field of journalism in areas of employment, media technologies, shifting patterns of media use, and media consumption.
In trying to attract new audiences, news media have begun to transition from reporting to becoming a form of entertainment. With the meteoric rise of social media’s role as a news source, the fight for an increase of diversity in the media, and the ever-growing desire of immediate content, the future of responsible journalism is more important than ever. Ask yourself, why do I think the way I do? Where do my political views originate? How do I prove them? Most likely, it is due to the biased portrayal of issues in the media and the politicization that accompanies what we consume. Now, compare your views to your preferred news reporting entity. More than likely, they are the same.
The first reason, citizen journalism should have the right to write and publish the news is because they can publish the news faster than traditional media. For example, when hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans in Aug 23,2005, in minutes citizen journalism posted a video and pictures of the devastation before any traditional news organizations. In facet the traditional news organization reported New Orleans news by ...
The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person’s fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting the information out correctly at the first publishing by taking the time to make sure all facts are checked. The importance of having a system of checks on all information submitted is paramount. People trust what they read and believe it to be so without always questioning. If all information were to not be checked thoroughly, there would be instances where people read an article only for information included to be wrong and they go on believing such information. This can be very dangerous as misinformed people make misinformed decisions. With an increase in errors being made by citizen bloggers and even major publications, many are worried that journalistic ethics and credibility in the news media are being sacrificed in order to maintain swiftness in the news circuit and to retain personal profits. Though getting information to the masses quickly is a major part of the media’s importance, this should not mean that the credibility of that information being presented should be sacrificed for it...
Every morning when I get up, the very first thing I do is turn on the TV--but not for cartoons or MTV. It has become a habit for me to watch the news in the morning. I feel the need to know what is going on because I know that no matter where the news happens, 99 percent of the time it will, directly or indirectly, affect me or people I care about. The broadcast media has become a part of my life and the lives of almost everyone in the Western world. We may not know the names of our senators, but Katie Couric or Tom Brokaw are familiar names in every American household. Not many of us realize, however, that the job of the news reporter is not as glorious as we imagine. This paper will offer you a closer look on what goes on behind the TV screen or radio microphone.