FAQ: Does citizen journalism impact on employability? | Online Journalism Blog

What effect do you think citizen journalism will have on the future for professional journalists?

It’s already had an impact on their awareness of scrutiny: I’ve heard journalists and editors saying they feel they have to produce better quality journalism and get it right, because they know if they get the facts wrong people will point it out.

It’s also already had an effect on how they work: journalism is becoming more collaborative as journalists realise that many ‘citizen journalists’ either have more expertise on a subject, or first hand experience of an event. But also that ‘citizen journalists’ actually have little interest in being journalists – they’re not in competition.

The Problem With Citizen Journalism - 10,000 Words

Citizen journalism is a lofty little term thrown around by interweb idealists.* This week, Trevor Knoblich wrote a column on PBS’ MediaShift blog asking “Can Citizen Journalism Move Past Crisis Reporting?”

No, no, it can’t. 

The first lonely comment under the article was from an editor of CNN’s iReport, championing the organization’s efforts to help citizens gather and report stories that are meaningful to them and their community. The idea is a noble one, and it’s executed pretty well. They give tips on good storytelling and provide free music clips you can use with your video. There’s even an Assignment Desk where editors ask for submissions on a given topic (this weekend it’s ‘Show Off Your Mom Tattoos’).

MediaShift Idea Lab . Can Citizen Journalism Move Beyond Crisis Reporting? | PBS

The aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings demonstrated yet another significant marker for citizen journalism. Felix Salmon, in an excellent post on the Reuters blog, wrote that the manhunt for a suspect in the bombings “in many ways represented the first fully interactive news story.” The crisis again demonstrated the value — and risks — of citizen reporting via social media.

Citizen reporters broke much of the news, though they still needed broadcast media to help spread it. In some cases, citizens were able to capture iconic photos of events. Others were able to tell compelling stories about how the emergency affected their lives, including obeying the “stay in place” request by government officials during the manhunt. It has been widely reported how quickly social communities also got information wrong, including falsely accusing suspects. But I’ve seen a nearly equal number of reports showing how quickly these communities were able to self-correct their own misinformation.

Tyler Mahoney: Citizen Journalism Needs a Dose of Journalistic Ethics After Sandy

When Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast, traditional news media sources found it difficult to get reporters into the areas most affected by the storm. To cover the storm, news outlets relied heavily on the power of citizen journalism, Instagram photos, and Twitter.

During Hurricane Katrina, citizen journalists were essential to getting news out of New Orleans. Getting a voice on the ground isn’t easy, especially when much of that ground is underwater. But, as a matter of journalistic ethics, accurate news is the most important during the worst circumstances. Even when the going is rough, there is no excuse for news agencies to slacken their commitment to basic due diligence. During Hurricane Sandy, citizen journalism provided dangerous misinformation and fueled damaging rumors because it wasn’t appropriately checked and researched.

Meet the Citizen Journalists Livestreaming the Political Conventions

Journalists from publications all around the world swarmed on Tampa and Charlotte to cover the Republican and Democratic National Conventions over the past two weeks. Among the 15,000 of them were Jessica Wilt and John Ennis, two citizen journalists equipped with little more than an iPhone and iPad, a few accessories and social media accounts.

Wilt and Ennis had a mission: As winners of the Huffington Post’s “OffTheBus” citizen journalism project, they were tasked with bringing their own perspectives and experience into their coverage of the conventions. They set up YouTube and Ustream accounts, received a few days’ worth of journalism and technical training, then sent off to Tampa and Charlotte respectively to livestream, tweet, blog and write articles.

Citizen Journalism, a Conservative Movement Failure | RedState

I can’t ignore this problem any more and too many are saying this is a real problem. Social media has become a problem in the Tea Party, a Big problem that is turning away many, time constraints, understanding how to use this new media, human nature with some talk more then they should, side arguments with a thread a mile long, intentional sabotage and much more are contributing factors. This is similar to everyone, millions standing in the same room and trying to talk about something important to them at the same time. At the same time the millions on the outside are looking in are trying to find what they feel is important but can’t get past all the noise. If you have a better description please contribute.

Business Today: Cultivating Citizen Journalism

As the dramatic events of the January 25 Revolution unfolded, IT specialist and entrepreneur Mahamad El Tanahy was in Tahrir Square, staying informed through his Twitter account. Meanwhile, Sarah O. Wali, a journalist, was in New York City collecting social media content on the revolution for her employer, ABC News. They witnessed the revolution from different perspectives, but both saw the potential of citizen journalism in driving events and keeping the public informed

Scotland's Olympic torch relay: how citizen journalists have charted the journey so far | News | guardian.co.uk

David McGillivary, project lead of Citizen Relay, recounts the achievements of citizen journalists using the olympic torch as a starting point for interviews about Scottish identity

The rise of citizen journalism | Media | guardian.co.uk

In a digital world with a whole host of different ways to communicate a factual message it is increasingly hard to judge the value of amateur eyewitness film shot on a mobile phone and posted on the internet against a considered, observational documentary broadcast on a traditional television channel.