Citizen Journalism

Citizen Journalism
Citizen journalism has emerged as a relatively new form of communicating events and news through the use of blogs, podcasts, streaming videos and other web related innovations. Through the use of these web based technologies individuals around the world can upload information, pictures and videos and report anything from original reporting and sightings of current events and disasters to commentary on social issues which appear in mainstream media. This expanding phenomenon allows citizens to contribute to the mass media as well as collaborate with professional reporters in either
• providing a reporter with their information in order to create a news story
• audiences commenting on professional reporters online
• Audiences providing more information to articles by professional reporters

The benefits of citizen journalism provides global interest to new stories which in particular for disasters that citizens can quickly capture images or videos on their cameras or phones which can be uploaded onto the internet and provide the rest of the world with an eye witness insight into the event. Without citizen journalism coverage of the full impact of disasters would be very difficult for professional reporters.

However the risks and disadvantages of citizen journalism include the reporting of false information, distorted images as well as information published by untrained sources that are able to remain anonymous.