What is 'Citizen Journalism'

As a variety of online social network media and technologies have been emerged, news report is no longer limited to traditional journalists’ work but it has extended to online citizens’ sphere. Youtube provides users innovative news channel called Citizen News where they can report and share news through. Many websites pursue citizen journalism, for example, Wordpress, Ohmynews(South Korea) and so on. Like this, Citizen journalists have been more and more powerful and influential on the news report with being called ‘Citizen Journalism’.

So what is 'Citizen Journalism'?

It is literally ‘citizens’ report news that is interesting for them, incorporating their own ideas and voice into the news (See ashleigh's article). Brynne Tuggle defines it as "the act of citizens playing an active role in process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information"

What is the most remarkable characteristic of citizen journalism?

In my opinion, the most distinctive point is that it aims at two-way interactivity, which means that online writers and readers mutually influence each other. While the conventional media journalists unilaterally provide news with little acceptance of readers’ feedback, citizen journalists speak out their voice and opinions and at the same time they allow readers to comment on their news. They are willing to share information and ideas bilaterally.

What makes me more interested in citizen journalism?

For me, interesting thing about citizen journalism is that it is an action ‘empowering people’. As one of example, Philly Future, which is a website that lists the best online writers, narrators, blogs, and commentators in the Philadelphia region, proclaims that its goal is to ‘empower people’ so that people can learn and communicate the diversity, history, sites, sounds, joys, concerns, and news of the region. (see about Philly Future) In the sense, I think citizen journalism is significant in terms of authorizing people to express their opinion broadly and at very low cost. Citizen journalism can work as watchdog criticizing biased and wrong news written by mainstream media journalist. In a nutshell, ‘Empowered people’ can challenge mainstream media seeing news in different perspectives. (see book ‘public journalism’ p.34-38)