Danger, Danger, Citizen Alert

The world of communications and journalism has changed so much over the last ten years. During the time of traditional media, the stories were written by those who were considered professional journalist, reporters or communications specialist. Fact checking was a must and ensuring you maintained your journalist ethics was nothing to compromise. Now, anyone who has an idea, thought or experience they would like to share can hit the internet and express it in their own way. Our readings this week were on citizen journalism and digital democracy. What is citizen journalism and digital democracy you ask? Well, just what it sounds like. It is the opportunity to express your ideas, tell your story or review an experience you may have just by creating a blog or posting on a social networking site (SNS). Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well I think it’s both.

Citizen journalism opens up a door to a whole world of story’s that otherwise may not have made it out to the general public. Mobile devices such as phones and net pads are capturing and streaming real-time news. Collaborative journalism (the practice of professional and non-professional journalists working together) is becoming the way of communication. Due to the availability of technology, citizens can often report breaking news more quickly than traditional media reporters. The means to publish is now in the hands of citizens, while the internet encourages new forms of journalism that are interactive and immediate. However, it is important that fact checking is still a big part of the reporting process. Quality of the story should be as important as timeliness. Everyone wants to be the first to break the story, but no one wants to be the first to recant something that was incorrectly reported. Always confirm before you report. For example, how many times have you seen a story on Facebook about a celebrity that has died? Just because it looks like a “News Story” it does not mean it is factual. And, that also goes for those who decide they want to write a blog or create a post about a certain topic. Citizen journalism tends to be one-sided and not necessarily fair. People by nature are biased and objectivity tends to flee when an inexperienced writer has a slanted view. When this happens, the original story can be a changed a bit. Gossip begins and errors are exposed resulting in different versions of the same story. Society might not get what they bargained for. The same concept comes into play with blogs and posts regarding events, news and even sports. Citizen journalism doesn’t stop there, it is in just about everywhere you look on the internet. SNSes are filled with people expressing their viewpoints and experiences through posts and blogs.

Blogs and social network posts have become one of the fastest growing communication mediums of all time. Many people are blogging about things such as politics, the economy, healthcare, entertainment or what they had for breakfast. There are generally five types of bloggers; corporate, entrepreneur, full-time professional, part-time professional and the hobbyist. Just as people like to hear themselves talk (I know you know what I’m talking about) there are also those express their opinions in blogs not matter how blunt, crazy or obscene they may be. However, blogging is a very powerful tool, For instance, did you know that 6.7 million people blog on blogging sites and 12 million on social networks? Also, 77 percent of internet users read blogs and 81 percent of US consumers trust the advice and information from blogs. With stats like that, how can you not be interested in what is being said. However one must be extremely careful about the face value of what you read. I generally go to many blog links to research certain things. However, if I am looking for clarification on a serious topic, I am careful to ensure that the source is creditable. Most blogs for which I link are from a professional site I feel that is very reputable and the bloggers credentials and expertise is prominent on the site. 

While there be more news streaming across the media with the help of everyday people and their digital devices, these same people will hold the reporters accountable to their stories. That is why it is so important to ensure the validity of what is being posted or blogged. Again, people want to be heard and they also want you to know if they have a different opinion or a different experience than what you may have blogged or posted about. That is where the democracy comes in. Everyone has a voice in this digital world and many are not afraid to put it all out there. More main stream media newsrooms are moving toward a more opinionated or partisan approach to news and commentary. To be impartial is said to be boring to viewers and readers. Audiences are said to be attracted to strong opinion and conflicts of opinion. They want to know all angles and be a part of the conversation.

The tradition of what journalism is has changed and lines are being blurred between the reporters and the citizens who are not jumping onto the journalistic bandwagon. So choose carefully what you read. Take in to consideration the source of the information. If you blog, blog smart. If you browse, browse with caution. And always remember that just because you read it on Facebook, it does not mean its 100 percent truth.

 

 References

Blogging Stats | Social Media Today. (2013, August 28). Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://socialmediatoday.com/mikevelocity/1698201/blogging-stats-2013-infographic

Information 3.0: The Pros and Cons of Citizen Journalism! What are your thoughts?! (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2014, from http://sarahfich2.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-pros-and-cons-of-citizen-journalism.html

Ward, S. J. (n.d.). Digital Media Ethics | Center for Journalism Ethics. Retrieved April 18, 2014, from http://ethics.journalism.wisc.edu/resources/digital-media-ethics/