Citizen Journalism

Definitions

The collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the Internet. Alternative and activist form of news gathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media often as a response to shortcomings in the professional journalistic field that uses similar journalistic practices but is driven by different objectives and ideals and relies on alternative sources of legitimacy then tradition of mainstream journalism. 

Citizen journalism refers to the reporting of news events by members of the public using the Internet to spread the information. 

Citizen journalism can be a simple reporting of facts and news that is largely ignored by large media companies. It is easily spread through personal websites, blogs, micro blogs, social media and so on. Some types of citizen journalism also act as a check on the reporting of larger news outlets by providing alternative analysis.

Jay Rosen offers a simpler definition: "When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another." The underlying principle of citizen journalism is that ordinary people, not professional journalists, can be the main creators and distributors of news.

Courtney C. Radsch defines citizen journalism "as an alternative and activist form of news gathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions, often as a response to shortcomings in the professional journalistic field, that uses similar journalistic practices but is driven by different objectives and ideals and relies on alternative sources of legitimacy than traditional or mainstream journalism"

Seungahn Nah and Deborah S. Chung say in their book "Understanding Citizen Journalism as Civic Participation" that citizen journalism is "highly embedded in local communities where community residents engage in day-to-day routines of community storytelling about local politics, public affairs, community events, neighborhood issues, schools, public transportation, land uses and environments, and much more."

Names synonymous to citizen journalism

Personal publishing

Grassroots media

Networked journalism

Open source journalism

Citizen media

Participatory journalism

Hyper local journalism

Distributed journalism

Stand-alone journalism

Bottom-up journalism

Non media journalism

Guerrilla journalism

Public Journalism

Participatory Journalism

Democratic Journalism

Street Journalism

Collaborative Citizen Journalism (CCJ)

Evolution and Rise of Citizen Journalism 

The beginnings of citizen journalism stretch back to the infancy of the United States. In the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin distributed news and views through his own publication, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Thomas Paine freely wrote about liberty and rebellion in his influential pamphlet Common Sense. The anonymously published Federalist Papers analyzed the proposed Constitution, questioning the historic document that would form the basis of the nation's government.

In modern times, ordinary people have captured amateur video of historic events. Witnesses at the scene recorded footage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King in 1991.

Traditionally, professional journalists and large media outlets collected facts, analyzed news, and distributed that information to the public using resources only they could access. Due to advances in technology, however, mainstream broadcasts and newspapers increasingly ceased functioning as the epicenter of knowledge. With the immediate dissemination of news on the World Wide Web, readers came to know just as much as the press and could spread it just as fast.

In the late 1990s, the internet aided the transformation of news taking place. In 1999, San Jose Mercury News columnist Dan Gillmor wrote the first blog for a traditional media outlet. Gillmor went on to author the definitive book on the topic, We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People, in 2004. He also founded and began overseeing the Center for Citizen Media.

Citizen journalism received a major boost on the world stage in 2000. That year, South Korean progressive journalist Oh Yeon-ho started a free online newspaper, OhmyNews, after perceiving an imbalance in the nation's traditional media and the stories they chose to cover. The newspaper relied on ordinary readers to generate digital content. The phrase "citizen journalism" caught on after Oh said, "Every citizen is a reporter." With fifty thousand contributors at its disposal, OhmyNews grew into one of South Korea's leading news outlets.

Citizen journalism can be considered as the offspring of this evolution - an alternative form of news gathering and reporting, taking place outside of the traditional media structures and which can involve anyone. We live in the age of image consumption and data absorption. Everyday, a fresh wave of information reaches our computers and phone screens, but not only are we the recipients of this constant flow, we are now the creators. The liberalisation of information allows anyone to share and spread their personal experience of an event, in real time. This new form of reporting takes place ahead of or outside traditional media structures and can function as a firewall - holding media accountable for any inaccuracies or lack of news coverage.

Participatory reporting allows storytelling. Personal experiences of an event reinforce their impact, with each testimony offering a new dimension. We can also argue that it resituates the individual within history and the way it is constructed. We have a tendency to think of history as a natural course of events that we automatically hold in our collective memory as ‘fact’ - but it is very much an artefact. History is about selecting and defining events, much like journalism does. 

By engaging in the process of creating information, disseminating and consuming it, we could also argue that the era of information has promoted citizens to not only reporters but also as neophyte historians - making a moment matter.

Types of Citizen Journalism

Types of citizen journalism include institutionalized (working with professional news organizations) and non-institutionalized (operating independently). Other categories are based on the medium, such as print (articles, blogs), broadcast (video, audio), and photojournalism, as well as the role it plays, like participatory or collaborative. 

Based on structure:

Institutionalized (Semi-independent): Citizens contribute to established media outlets.

Examples: Posting comments on news articles, contributing photos or videos to a newsroom.

Non-institutionalized (Fully independent): Individuals or groups operate on their own using platforms like social media, blogs, and websites. 

Based on medium:

Print: Includes written content like blogs, articles posted on social media, and online forums. 

Broadcast: Involves audio and video content, such as podcasts or videos shared on platforms like YouTube. 

Photojournalism: Focuses on using photographs to tell a story or document events. 

Internet Journalism: A broad category that encompasses many online forms of citizen reporting. 

Based on role or function:

Participatory Journalism: Citizens actively participate in the news process. 

Collaborative Journalism: Multiple individuals work together, sometimes with professional journalists, to create content. 

User-Generated Content: A general term for content created by the public rather than professionals. 

Public Journalism: A style of journalism that focuses on the community's role in shaping the news agenda.

Advantages of Citizen Journalism 

Citizen journalism offers several notable advantages, primarily stemming from its ability to democratize the news process and leverage the power of everyday people:

Diverse Perspectives and Broader Coverage: Citizen journalists, being ordinary members of the public, can cover events and issues that traditional media might overlook or deem less newsworthy. This can broaden the range of topics reported and provide local, on-the-ground perspectives often missing in mainstream news.

Speed and Immediacy: Equipped with smartphones and social media, citizens can often be the first to report from the scene of a breaking event (e.g., accidents, natural disasters, protests), providing instant updates and real-time information.

Accessibility and Reach: Citizen journalism, particularly through the internet and social media, allows content to reach a vast and diverse audience quickly and often for free.

Filling Information Gaps in Restrictive Environments: In regions where the press is heavily controlled or censored, citizen journalists can serve as crucial sources of independent information, documenting events the official media might ignore or distort.

Audience Engagement and Participation: It transforms news consumers from passive spectators into active participants, fostering a greater sense of community involvement and accountability.

Free Content (in some cases): Citizen contributions can provide a large volume of content without the direct operational costs associated with maintaining a large, professional reporting staff.

Impact of Citizen Journalism on Mainstream Media

It has the ability to provide alternative perspectives and challenge mainstream narratives. Traditional news outlets have long been criticized for bias and limited coverage, often leaving out important stories or perspectives. Citizen journalists, on the other hand, have the freedom to report on issues that are often overlooked by mainstream media.

They can shine a light on underreported stories, amplify marginalized voices, and bring attention to social injustices that may otherwise go unnoticed. By diversifying the range of voices in journalism, citizen journalism has the potential to create a more inclusive and democratic media landscape. Ihas revolutionized the speed at which news is disseminated. In the past, breaking news stories would take hours, if not days, to reach the public through traditional news channels. With citizen journalism, news spreads rapidly through social media platforms, often reaching millions of people within minutes. This real-time reporting has proven to be invaluable in situations such as natural disasters or political unrest, where timely information can save lives and shape public opinion.

Citizen journalism has also increased the level of audience engagement with news stories. Social media platforms have become virtual town squares, where people gather to discuss and share information. Citizen journalists often foster conversations around their content, enabling a more interactive and participatory approach to news consumption.

Citizen journalism has fundamentally reshaped the landscape of mainstream media by challenging its monopoly on newsgathering, forcing rapid acceleration in the speed of reporting, and diversifying the source material available. It primarily impacts professional news organizations in three ways: source material, speed, and democratization. First, citizen journalists, armed with smartphones, now serve as ubiquitous eyewitnesses and the first point of contact for breaking news—especially during crises, protests, or local events that professional reporters cannot immediately reach. Mainstream media (MSM) outlets are compelled to integrate user-generated content (UGC) like photos and videos into their coverage, effectively outsourcing the initial field reporting, though they must dedicate significant resources to its verification and fact-checking due to inherent credibility concerns. Second, the constant, instant flow of information on social media has drastically increased the pace of the 24/7 news cycle, pressuring MSM to abandon their traditional, deliberate publishing schedules in favor of real-time updates and breaking news alerts to remain competitive. Finally, citizen journalism acts as a critical watchdog by providing alternative narratives, highlighting stories overlooked by large media conglomerates, and giving a voice to marginalized communities, thereby challenging the perceived biases and narratives of the established press and forcing a broader, more inclusive representation of public discourse.

However, the rise of citizen journalism is not without its challenges. One of the main concerns is the issue of credibility and accuracy. Unlike professional journalists who are trained in fact-checking and verification, citizen journalists may lack the necessary skills and resources to ensure the accuracy of their content. This can lead to the spread of misinformation and fake news, which can have serious consequences on public perception and trust in the media.

Examples of Citizen Journalism 

Assassination of John F. Kennedy:

The assassination of John F. Kennedy (JFK) on November 22, 1963, provides an early, pivotal look at citizen journalism. While not termed as such at the time, amateur footage, most famously the Zapruder film, captured by an eyewitness, became the most crucial and controversial visual evidence.  This private film, shot on a home-movie camera, documented the sequence of events with a detail news networks and government investigators initially lacked. Its subsequent broadcast, public scrutiny, and lasting debate over its contents exemplify how ordinary citizens, by recording history, can fundamentally shape the public's understanding and perception of a monumental, tragic event, foreshadowing modern citizen reportage.

Indian Ocean Earthquake:

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami became a landmark event for citizen journalism. With traditional media slow to arrive, eyewitnesses—many of them Western tourists—used digital cameras, blogs, and early online platforms to share harrowing, unedited photos, videos, and first-person accounts.

This "amateur content" provided crucial, immediate coverage, often predating professional reports. The influx of raw, user-generated material dramatically highlighted citizen journalists' capacity to document major global events, prompting a significant and lasting shift in how professional news organizations integrated audience contributions into their breaking news coverage.

Arab Spring:

Citizen journalism was pivotal in the Arab Spring, using readily available tools like cameraphones and social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) to bypass state-controlled media and censorship. Citizens on the ground became instant reporters, providing the world with real-time, unfiltered footage and narratives of protests, government crackdowns, and breaking news. This citizen-led documentation was crucial for mobilizing support, organizing demonstrations, and informing international media, fundamentally changing the flow of information during the uprisings.

Black lives Matter:

The Black Lives Matter movement has been profoundly shaped by citizen journalism. Individuals using smartphones and social media became crucial reporters, documenting instances of police brutality and racial injustice, such as the killing of George Floyd. This grassroots documentation bypassed traditional media gatekeepers, offering raw, real-time perspectives that galvanized public outrage and mobilization globally. Citizen journalists provided an essential counter-narrative, holding power accountable and ensuring marginalized voices and events were seen and heard. Their footage and posts were vital in informing and driving the movement's visibility and impact.

Challenges in Citizen Journalism

The core challenges of citizen journalism are centered on credibility, ethics, and sustainability:

Credibility and Accuracy Issues–

Lack of Fact-Checking: Citizen content often lacks the editorial oversight and formal verification processes of professional newsrooms, leading to the rapid spread of misinformation, rumors, and fake news.

Bias and Subjectivity: Citizen journalists may have personal agendas, resulting in highly biased or opinionated reporting that lacks the professional standard of objectivity.

Shallow Reporting: They often lack the resources or expertise for in-depth context and analysis of complex issues.

Ethical and Legal Risks—

Privacy and Harm: Due to a lack of training on media law, citizen journalists may violate privacy rights, inadvertently cause harm, or publish sensitive details about victims or minors.

Lack of Accountability: Many operate anonymously or without institutional backing, making it difficult for the public to hold them accountable for errors or ethical breaches.

Safety and Resource Constraints—

Personal Safety: They lack the institutional protection and safety training of professional reporters, making them highly vulnerable to threats and physical harm, especially in dangerous situations.

Resource Limits: Citizen journalism is often voluntary, limiting the financial resources and time needed for sustained, investigative coverage.

Criticism of Citizen Journalism 

The major criticisms of citizen journalism boil down to a fundamental clash with professional standards:

Lack of Credibility & Accuracy–

No Vetting: Absence of fact-checking and editorial oversight means unverified rumors and misinformation can spread rapidly.

Bias: Reports are often highly subjective, partisan, or activist-driven, sacrificing the goal of objectivity for a specific viewpoint.

Ethical and Legal Risks–

Unregulated Ethics: Citizen reporters often lack training in journalistic ethics, leading to violations of privacy and an increased risk of causing harm (e.g., exposing victims or minors).

Accountability Gap: It is difficult to hold anonymous or unaffiliated citizen journalists responsible for errors, libel, or copyright infringement.

Amateur Quality—

Low Quality: Content is frequently criticized as being amateur and haphazard in its presentation, research, and technical execution.

Lack of Depth: Reporters often focus only on the immediate eyewitness account, failing to provide necessary context or in-depth analysis.

Future of Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism is reshaping how we consume news. It provides immediate, diverse, and personalized accounts of events, allowing anyone with a smartphone to become a reporter. While this shift brings both opportunities and challenges, there is no denying that citizen journalism is a crucial element of the modern media landscape, pushing both news consumers and producers to reconsider how information is communicated, consumed, and trusted in the digital age. 

Looking ahead, citizen journalism will continue to be an influential force in news consumption. As technology advances, more people will gain access to the tools needed to cover and report on news. Social media and decentralized publishing platforms will only grow more powerful, enabling ordinary citizens to play an even greater role in the media landscape.

However, for citizen journalism to thrive and remain effective, it will need to collaborate with professional journalists and mainstream media. A symbiotic relationship must be struck—combining the speed, diversity, and grassroots nature of citizen journalism with the editorial standards, training, and fact-checking capabilities of traditional media.

The future of citizen journalism points toward a paradoxical but necessary hybrid model of news, driven by rapid technological advancements and a perpetual struggle against misinformation. Citizen journalists will remain crucial as the first-hand, real-time reporters of breaking news and hyper-local events, providing immediacy and diverse perspectives that professional newsrooms cannot match. However, the biggest shift will be the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which presents both a powerful tool and an existential threat. AI can be leveraged to assist citizen journalists by automating transcription, summarizing data, and crowdsourcing information, making grassroots reporting more efficient. Conversely, the proliferation of sophisticated deepfakes and generative AI poses a massive verification challenge, forcing a greater reliance on professional journalists to act as trusted, expert fact-checkers and ultimate gatekeepers for user-generated content. Therefore, the future will likely see a collaboration: citizen journalists will continue to democratize the act of reporting, while professional media institutions will focus on verification, context, and in-depth analysis to maintain public trust in an increasingly noisy, fragmented, and synthetic information environment.