Nicole Germany, Lauren Richardson, Keilani Rodriguez, Cassie Vangellow and Carla Vianna
Citizen Journalism and what the movement means for traditional journalism and professional journalists.
What is citizen journalism? How does it differ from traditional journalism? According to Mashable, citizen journalism is the product of citizens “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information.” Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel have said, “the primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing.”
How are the practitioners of citizen journalism and traditional journalism different? As Steve Outing of Poynter said, citizen journalism is multi-faceted with bloggers and citizens participating in various ways. Does having a journalism degree make someone a traditional or professional journalist? After completing our research, we will create working definitions of both types of journalists to guide us through our analysis.
Citizen journalism goes by several names, including public, participatory and guerilla journalism. This movement has evolved since the early foundation of the United States was formed. In publishing the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison could be considered citizen journalists. Their articles provided information about the U.S. Constitution, so the public could evaluate this new governmental structure before making a decision.
In more recent times, technological progress has allowed for more citizen involvement. In 1991, a citizen recorded the beating of Rodney King on a home video camera. The world may never have learned of how brutal the beating was without this video evidence. Videos were also released during the turmoil in Egypt because of groups like Mosireen, a citizen journalism entity based in Cairo.
There have been countless examples of quality citizen journalism. CNN launched iReport to involve citizen journalists in the conversation. In 2012, citizen journalists submitted more than 100,000 stories. Of these, 10,789 were fact-checked and broadcasted on the CNN network or featured on the website. This reporting included coverage of Superstorm Sandy and the situation after debilitating floods hit the Philippines.
However, there are drawbacks to this movement. In 2008, one citizen falsely reported that Steve Jobs had a heart attack. Who holds these citizens accountable when they publish inaccurate news? Without fact checkers and editors, information is broadcast to the public that can cause rumors and unnecessary panic.
On Jan. 17, a major development occurred with a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This ruling establishes that the same protections extended to traditional media are available for citizen bloggers and Web journalists. According to Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor, “It makes clear that bloggers have the same First Amendment rights as professional journalists.”
Citizen journalism has many ethical implications. Maintaining objectivity is one issue. Professional journalists pride themselves on their ability to keep facts separate from their opinions. Members of the profession do not allow their personal biases to impact what they cover or how they cover it. However, many citizen journalists are reporting on a particular topic because they care deeply about it or have a personal stake in the matter.
It does not appear that bloggers at WestportNow.com, a community blog in Connecticut, are deeply concerned with remaining objective. People are posting about delays on the Metro North and unemployment in the area because these are the issues members of the community care about. Is objectivity a critical aspect of citizen journalism or is dedication to truth and accuracy enough?
The question of objectivity also ties into partisanship. Partisan publications were replaced in the early 1900s because they were a risk for advertisers. However, Patterson and Wilkins discussed how partisan media entities like Fox News and MSNBC are experiencing a lot of success.
The advent of the Internet has largely erased the barrier that discouraged partisan or opinionated coverage. Anyone can set up a blog and be heard without worrying about the bottom line or other financial pressures. By using the power of the Internet, people can advocate for their right to bear arms, and others can focus on how stricter gun legislation needs to be implemented. Does the publication of distinct viewpoints by citizen journalists open up the discussion? Is this a better approach than the “just the facts, ma’am” model used by traditional journalists? Our paper will attempt to address these issues.
This raises the question of whether citizen journalists need a code of ethics. Code of ethics cannot be the be-all and end-all for citizen journalists looking to report in an ethical manner. A list of responsibilities and acceptable behavior will never cover every scenario. The code of ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists even contains ambiguity about revealing and withholding information. Should the code of ethics be different for traditional journalists and citizen journalists? If so, how should they differ? We will devise a code of ethics we think should be followed based on our observations.
Our paper will also include several case studies looking into examples of citizen journalism. What guides coverage? Are the news values different for citizen journalism as compared with traditional journalism? For a Florida perspective, we want to learn more about The Post, a neighborhood platform for Davis Islands. Examiner.com has more than 100,000 “reporters” submitting stories from all across the United States. With an audience of more than 37 million visitors a month, we want to find out what has made this platform so successful.
We have learned from our class readings how globalization is contributing to the new market journalism. Corporations and their communication holdings have the power to transcend borders, but where does this leave citizen journalists? Platforms, such as allvoices, are attempting to unite contributors from all across the globe to contribute to the conversation. According to the allvoices website, every contribution is checked by algorithms for spam and relevance. If it pertains to the news event, it will be posted. This could be criticized for being a journalism of aggregation, but it is likely the most efficient way to monitor postings.
During our research, we plan to receive guidance from librarian April Hines about various sources to pursue. In addition, we will contact Kelly McBride from the Poynter Institute. She served as the co-editor of The New Ethics of Journalism: Principles for the 21st Century.
n.k.germany@ufl.edu
llrichardson@ufl.edu
keilanirodriguez@ufl.edu
cvangellow@ufl.edu
carlaognibeni@ufl.edu
Vangellow, Cassie 
Looks good – please proceed.