MMJ 191 Week 6

Citizen journalism invites more people participation but is it fading the role of journalists?

Citizen journalism is not yet the answer; we still need professional journalists who follow standards in the news making. However, citizen journalists can help bolster news content since we are getting closer to the audience and they tell personal accounts of what they witnessed, observed or wish to call for an action.

Media companies, which embrace convergence, are reaching out now to the audience by inviting them to share their stories as citizen journalists like the Youscoopers of GMA Network and Bayan Patrollers of ABS-CBN Network(Philippines).They treat the audience as part of the story.

Although news organizations used their stories for free, they are credited for videos and photos shared. And acquiring of this kind from citizen journalist is happening by coincidence or very seldom.

So if the issue is about ethics to take free or cheap content from the audience and not paying them, my idea is its better to give them a token from to the company or a recognition plaque, unless the citizen wish to ask for a payment.

It is understood that they are fan of a certain news company or an avid reader of their online, which is why they share to them the story.

Somehow citizen journalists also threaten the job of many news people or stringers. I had a case learned once from my fellow, he rushed to a tragedy site, shot better video with all of his equipment, spent time to write, travelled too far, and only to find out the visuals sent by a citizen journalist was the one picked-up by the producers for a TV newscast.

User-generated content and the changing news cycle like the mushrooming number of bloggers is seen as the future news.

Coming from the community and using technology to really engage with other people than doing the jobs of journalists is agreeable that traditional media would have to change because “moblogs” or v-blogs were the next major step in publishing.

The battle soon is seen more on a “personal media revolution” but will the audience rely on their credibility, balance and accuracy of the story?