Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism refers to the reporting of news events by members of the public using the Internet to spread the information. It is all forms of public reporting carried out online by private individuals who don’t report or write for an organization or company.

This can include local blogs cover small events, social media outlets like Twitter, or online posts of citizens in countries where the national media is government controlled.

Since the general public has 24/7 access to technology, citizens are often the first on-scene for breaking news, getting these stories out more quickly than traditional media reporters. However, unlike professional journalists, citizen journalists may not have conducted the same background research and source verification, which can make these leads less reliable.

Social media has played a vital role in revolutionizing news. Many citizens are the
first to report on breaking stories, with eye-witness videos, first-hand accounts, and
real-time information, all using social media. Even news outlets will share breaking
stories on social media before traditional means, but they have to still follow up with
larger stories quickly or risk being outdated with their material in this fast-paced news
environment.

Social media also stands as a source for professional journalists to identify the stories they need to cover. A 2016 study indicated that more than 50% of professional journalists used social media, including citizen journalism, to find and build stories.

Although citizen journalism has a large impact on our daily news it does have flaws.

The biggest concern is the reliability of news, including fact-checking and the risk of
incorrect information being disseminated.

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