Essay On Citizen Journalism

Citizen Journalism: The Social Importance is Worth the Risk

The way that people receive news has traditionally been through channels of journalists who report over newscasts or in newspapers. Over the last few decades this has changed drastically. The birth of widespread internet, technology and social media began this revolution of change. Anyone with a smartphone today can instantly capture a story and begin circulating it within a matter of minutes. The occupation of journalism itself carries an inherent risk; whether citizen or professional. In recent history, professional freelance journalists have been killed, jailed and hurt. Citizens who step up and report in dangerous situations may be opening themselves up to this same

By giving an average person who witnesses an unusual event the ability to record and share it, it opens up the number of stories received by the world. Despite the many positives this provides, it must be remembered that it is one view of the story; that of the citizen capturing it. It is up to the viewer or reader to decide if the story is knowledgeable or just stating an opinion. There are notable situations such as the U.S. Airways flight crash into the Hudson River which was captured in images first by an onlooker before the media had arrived, or the stories and photos that were caught at the time of the Boston Marathon Bombings (Maps of World). This instant capturing of images and stories has been proven to aid in crisis management as officials are able to review the actual footage. Natural disasters reported by citizens in real time have provided administrators information with which to better prepare for emergencies as well (Watson and Wadhwa). CNN has a citizen journalism initiative named iReport as they have realized the value of having access to the photos, reports and stories that those who live in areas where natural disasters occur. Through this initiative they have received photos of floods, tornados, fires and other immediate images that would otherwise not be available to them (CNN). These stories, eyewitness accounts and instant reporting educate even average citizens, especially in light of areas where there is no professional media coverage