With the arrival of the Internet came widespread accessibility. Not just for the reader, but for the writers as well. No longer is the reporting of news left to the professionals; on the contrary, any person with access to a computer and Internet connection can make a mark on the world. This new group of self motivated news writers have been labelled 'citizen journalists'. At one time the bringing of news was an elite market, reserved for those trained in writing and research, but now, the door has been thrown wide open as anyone with something to say can let it be heard in the vast sea of knowledge that is the Internet.
With so much information to be found in one place it can create a difficult issue of trying to decipher the fact from the fiction. Does every blogger really know what they are talking about, or are they describing personal opinion and labelling it as fact? As Megan Perras said in her blog post on citizen journalism, "everyone wants a shot in the limelight." Bloggers are finding their limelight online by writing for all to see, but with so many different blogs to choose from, it is hard to create an audience of any significant size. Such a phenomenon can be compared the movie "The Incredibles", when the 'bad guy', Syndrome, plans to sell his electronics to the world so that anyone wishing for super powers can have them. He says, "I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can have powers. Everyone can be super! And when everyone's super-- no one will be." When everyone is a journalist, is journalism still a job? Or when everything is being reported on, is anything news?
Citizen journalism has its ups and downs, just the same as professional journalism. However, it is important to know what is news and what is someone's opinion. In the world of online, where any and all information is just a click away, it is the reader's job to read critically and be aware of what is worth reading. It easy to find the scribblings of a person vying for their turn in the limelight, but it is a much better idea to look harder and read what is true.
*Note: image from Biske.com
Shannon, I feel like you did a really good job of covering the basic issues behind citizen journalism. You're right, it can be hard to decipher fact from fiction when there is so much information on the Internet, and so many people publishing "news" online. I loved how you compared citizen journalism to the movie, "The Incredibles." It actually made me understand the concept the better! You made a very good point using the movie too:
ReplyDelete"When everyone is a journalist, is journalism still a job? Or when everything is being reported on, is anything news?"
That is definitely some food for thought. Nice work!
The cartoon you posted is very funny!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a very relevant point when you wrote, “What is journalism? In recent years this term has been a hard one to pin down.” This is a great way of starting your blog post! It brings to mind the many new facets of the evolving journalism. Anyone and their dog can now have access to all the resources one needs to be online and be read.
I like the creativity of your reference to movie “The Incredibles”. The statement, “And when everyone's super-- no one will be” is such an interesting and effective way of conveying the very crucial issue that faces journalism as a profession and craft. Keeping your comparison in mind, I think that in the sea of “everyone’s super”, “The Incredibles” (or real journalists) will always find their rightful place because to be a true “Incredible”, you have to be credible.
Great job, I enjoyed reading your very comprehensive an insightful blog post!