Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism allows for any individual to write about the news. The internet is the primary channel through which citizen journalists are given the power to write about global news. Blogging is one of the common uses through which individuals express their ideas and summaries of breaking news that develops. Youtube has also become a major cite for individuals, as one can upload their pictures and videos of events that were witnessed first hand. However, how can viewers truly believe what they are witnessing. The question of authenticity comes into play, because how can we be certain that such a source was not altered or tabulated with?

Because writers are always fighting for our attention, a problem arises when the information presented is falsified, exaggerated, or written with a lack of research. This problem comes about when reading the work of citizen journalists. There are also no editors to correct the work published by citizen journalists and their work can not be credible. Because communities are taking to the internet for their sources of information more frequently, fewer consumers are purchasing paper forms of the news. This poses a problem for the public, because we are now depending upon citizen journalists rather than professional journalists to inform our communities about conflicts worldwide. Professional journalists and news organizations follow a code of ethics that ensures that they are holding honesty and responsibility for the work that they publish. The public is able to trust such news sources more freely, respecting the news that they are confronted with. Few citizen journalists on the other hand do not follow a code of ethics.

Citizen journalism should not replace professional reporting by journalists. Information gathered by amateur citizen journalists can add to the news reported by journalists, however. CNN or other news channels actually embrace citizen journalism as they can use photos and videos recored by ordinary people during their segment.

WORK CITED
Dugan, Molly (2008). Journalism Ethics and the Independent Journalist. McGeorge Law Review, 39, p. 802.