http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Nkomo and Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 1-4, 2018. ©INOSR PUBLICATIONS International Network Organization for Scientific Research ISSN: 2705-1668

Citizen Journalism in Comparison with Professional Journalism

Nkomo Anthony and Themba Benjamin

Department of Humanities Africa University, Zimbabwe. ABSTRACT This study shows the comparison between assigned general news topics or you may the citizen journalism and professional work in various specialty areas such as journalism. Citizen journalism is a concept politics, celebrity news or sports. in media that refers to journalistic Consequently, bearing in mind that the activities of ordinary people. It means digital age we live in will continue to citizens themselves report the issues evolve, citizen journalism could be seen by confronting them. Citizen journalism has some as a threat to professional and enabled people to raise their voice on what traditional journalism. In conclusion we they feel need attention. professional see that anybody can be a citizen journalist's job revolves around journalist but not a professional researching, writing and reporting news journalist. stories. As a journalist you may be Keywords: Citizen, Professional, Journalism, Comparison. INTRODUCTION Citizen journalism is a concept in media journalism," "stand-alone journalism," that refers to journalistic activities of "networked journalism," "open source ordinary people. It means citizens journalism," "crowd-sourced journalism," themselves report the issues confronting "collaborative journalism," "grassroots them. Citizen journalism has enabled journalism," "community journalism," people to raise their voice on what they "bridge media" and so on. These forms of feel need attention. These people are, journalism are related to "citizen thus, termed as citizen journalists. [1] journalism", but each is a unique species have defined "citizen journalist" as an that has evolved out of a larger family of individual, who is not a trained social media. All these terms refer to professional, but who nonetheless may different acts [4]. report on his or her neighborhood or At present various user-generated community. Citizen journalists or websites, including news portals and blog amateur reporters are none but the sites, are operating across the globe that general audience, that is, viewers, readers offer common masses a platform to be and listeners of mainstream media. citizen journalists and share their stories Referring to citizen journalists as "people with rest of the world. Some notable formerly known as the audience," [2] citizen journalism websites of the world mentions that earlier they would be "on include Cable News Network’s (CNN) the receiving end of a media system that iReport feature that was launched in ran one way, in a broadcasting pattern, 2006, Al-Jazeera’s Sharek Portal (which with high entry fees and a few firms means "share") launched in late 2007 [5], competing to speak very loudly, while the Germany’s myHeimat.de, launched in rest of the population listened in isolation 2005, which has been structured as an from one another." He, however, argues aggregated hyperlocal news site [6] and that presently they are no more in a South Korea’s popular and commercially situation like that. Citizen journalism is successful online news website also known as participatory and OhMyNews, which was founded on democratic journalism [3]. There are February 22, 2000 by Oh Yeon Ho with the various other synonyms used for citizen motto, "Every Citizen is a Reporter" (The journalism -"public journalism," "civic Open News Room, 2011). Over past some

1 http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Nkomo and Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 1-4, 2018. years, various citizen journalism news Professional journalists are professional portals have emerged in india as well that because they are trained in their work and include MeriNews, MyNews, Cplash, follow a certain set of ethical guidelines, Cj.IBNLive, INewsIndia and others. The which citizen journalists don’t. Despite number of citizen journalism sites is fact-checking or verification sites like constantly increasing as the number of Storyful that improve the credibility of Internet users and new media writers citizen-produced content, only continues to rise. professional journalists dive into a story Citizen journalism and give it the context and depth that it’s Citizen journalism refers to the reporting otherwise lacking. A citizen’s content can of news events by members of the public be supplementary to a professional using the Internet to spread the journalist’s investigation, but it is not information. Citizen journalism can be a sufficient for a complete story. simple reporting of facts and news that is Professional journalists are responsible largely ignored by large media companies. for looking at every angle and source as It is easily spread through personal their stories should be well-rounded and websites, blogs, microblogs, social media unbiased. and so on. Some types of citizen If a professional journalist is adhering to journalism also act as a check on the journalistic ethics, then they should be reporting of larger news outlets by presenting facts in an unbiased light. providing alternative analysis. Citizen Their content isn’t there to persuade like journalism is referred to by many other an op-ed, but is meant to inform. This names, including: means that they have to verify their  Collaborative citizen journalism sources, fact-check, and refuse stories (CCJ where they might have a conflict of  Networked journalism interest.  Open source journalism Plus, their content shouldn’t be created  Citizen media for the click value or driven by a need for  Participatory journalism viewers. They should be investigating  Hyperlocal journalism stories and sources in order to uncover  Distributed journalism the truth. A citizen-shot video may get a  Stand-alone journalism ton of attention online, but it’s the  Bottom-up journalism professional journalist’s story behind it  Nonmedia journalism that people need to see to be informed.  Indymedia Though, it’s really up to publishers to  Guerrilla journalism work harder to promote professional Citizen journalism on the other hand journalism to beat out the noise of viral recently helps most professional video, clickbait, and unchecked citizen journalists with clue on what to write on journalism. since they are known to carry first hand Professional journalism also means information. Because they Carry first professional quality. Citizen-produced hand information, they tend to get content is usually filmed on a phone by higher/greater readership because the someone untrained in video production. citizens won't have to wait for This is fine for breaking news, but quality professional journalists who go through video is important to keeping a viewer’s ethics thereby wasting lots of time during attention and maintaining a news emergency situations. organization’s professional reputation Professional journalism and trustworthiness. Professional journalist's job revolves Citizen journalism and professional around researching, writing and reporting journalism news stories. As a journalist you may be It goes without saying that social media assigned general news topics or you may has monumentally changed the world of work in various specialty areas such as journalism in ways that no one could have politics, celebrity news or sports. comprehended before its colossal rise. As you can imagine, its rise has produced an

2 http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Nkomo and Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 1-4, 2018. overwhelming growth of citizen Though professional journalists do report journalism — the reporting of news on news as quickly as possible, they often events by members of the public using initially source the news from citizen the Internet to spread the information. journalists who have reported it via social Consequently, bearing in mind that the media. In fact, 51.8% of journalists, digital age we live in will continue to according to Cision, use social media to evolve, citizen journalism could be seen find and build stories. by some as a threat to professional and Citizen journalism via social media could traditional journalism. therefore be seen as the rawest form of Social media has already completely journalism — it provides eyewitness and altered the concept of breaking news; first-hand accounts, is the fastest channel breaking news now often comes from for breaking news, and gives real-time social media before traditional means, information, which is what the public with people being the first to report on, wants. for example, a terror attack, via their So is citizen journalism killing social media pages, which is most likely professional journalism? where a professional journalist will then While some might believe that social be made known of the news. Journalists media is replacing journalism and don’t even decide what the biggest story subsequently killing off professional and of the day is anymore, rather, society traditional journalism, others (including does, and the news that goes viral is often me) believe that citizen journalism can produced by social media users and does support professional themselves. journalism, not kill it. Professional journalists are, in a way, In many ways, social media has always at risk of being out-scooped by introduced a new layer to the world of citizen journalists, and being pipped to journalism; interaction and the post by them when it comes to getting communication with audiences, which a story or piece of content (like a video) professional journalists can seriously out there first. With the power of social benefit from. Other advantages of this media on citizen journalists’ side, news new dimension include the ability to produced by them is likely to spread partake in wider newsgathering, reach out faster, so if a professional journalist sits to sources directly, build personal on their story for too long, it may no relationships and increase engagement longer be new news! with audiences, just to name a few. Though Citizen journalism has some “Instead of rivalling social media, news downsides, such as the possibility that outlets are leveraging off the platform to what’s being talked about might not be reach a wider audience online.” — Nur 100% factual, it does come in handy in Adilah Ramli, theSundaily certain situations. Imagine you receive a So not only does social media as a whole text from a loved one saying that they’re help professional journalists in ways, but hiding and think they might be caught up citizen journalism itself comes with a lot in an attack, for example. You’re going to of benefits that professional journalists want to be able to go straight to social can take advantage of too. What’s media to find out what’s happening and if particularly advantageous is that the anyone else is talking about it, rather than immediacy and speed of reporting means wait until the next morning to read the that news that could not be predicted is newspaper, aren’t you? able to be sourced straight away. This is a real example of citizen Considering these benefits, I personally journalism; people taking to social media believe that the two forms of journalism to report on breaking news as it was can work together in acting as message happening before anyone else knew about diffusing systems [8]. By this I mean it. And this shows just how powerful citizen journalists can provide the social media is as a tool for reporting on immediate news that professional breaking news. journalists can curate into stories and spread far and wide, or professional

3 http://www.inosr.net/inosr-arts-and-management/ Nkomo and Themba INOSR ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 4(1): 1-4, 2018. journalists can provide the news stories “New technology enables normal people which social medi TBtizen journalism is to do reporting. But new technology also killing professional journalism. There’s improves the monitoring quality of no denying that citizen journalism is real journalism practice and activity. and happening, but, it is not a hindrance On the other hand, training citizen to professional or traditional journalism journalists to become effective stewards and rather a help, and in fact I think it of the facts might not only prove to be a plays a critical role [9]. The two forms of better option, it is, to be sure, a more journalism can work together in inclusive approach to spreading real informing the world effectively. news. CONCLUSION In conclusion we see that anybody can be phones or cameras to capture on-going a citizen journalist but not a professional events which are of importance. journalist. Citizen journalism is reporting professional journalist's job revolves sourced, researched and written by around researching, writing and reporting amateurs. Citizen journalists are not news stories. As a journalist you may be trained as journalists but cover current assigned general news topics or you may events, either by attending events and work in various specialty areas such as relating their experience of it, or by using politics, celebrity news or sports. REFERENCES 1. Baase, S. (2008). A Gift of Fire (3rd Convention and Exhibition Centre, ed.). Lebanon: Prentice Hall. Suntec City, Singapore. 2. De Keyser, J., & Raeymaeckers, K. 5. Rosen, J. (2006). The People (2011, y 25). The Printed Rise of Formerly Known as the Audience. the Common Man. Paper presented PressThink. at the Annual Meeting of the 6. The Open News om. (2011). Citizen International Communication Journalism: A Primer on the Association, Boston, MA. Definition, Risks and Benefits, and 3. Deuze, M., Bruns, A., & Neuberger, Mai Debates in Media C. (2007). Preparing for an Age of Communications Resarch. Participatory News. 7. Ellie Mason. (2018). Is citizen 4. Duffy, M., Thorson, E., & Jahng, M. journalism killing professional (2010). Comparing Legacy News journalism. Sites with Citizen News and Blog 8. Tara Anderson/future of Sites: Where is the Best journalism. (2016). Citizen Journalism? Paper presented at the journalism vs professional Annual Meeting of the journalism. International Communication 9. Professional journalism. Wikipedia Association, International

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