Do it yourself

Citizen journalism is a growing phenomenon. It was perhaps the London bombings in July 2005 that allowed, and required, ordinary citizens to actively take part in making and aiding the news. The events occurred at hard to reach places for news cameras and crews and when they did, the news had grown sufficiently old by then. If not for the many who took photographs and recorded the audio and visual of the aftermath in searing temperatures, the world would have remained starved of the complete chaos and destruction that had been caused.

It is human nature to actively follow a trail of destruction, be it being part of the proceedings or merely as an observer. When it comes to witnessing a news story, the trend continues. The inquisitive itch to dig deep into the happenings, to ask questions from those around, to observe surroundings and to pass judgement is not solely to answer the questions arising within but also to plan out a perfect dinner-table tale.

Perhaps this is why, with the advent and increasing popularity, and availability, of camera-enabled mobile phones, with high storage and audio recording features, contributions from the public has increased considerably. The images captured on the ill-fated underground trains in London, of the thousands left stranded and homeless as Katrina hit the blocks and as Buncefield oil depot caught fire, were making news within minutes of being captured. Television was not the only medium accessed by the ‘ordinary’. News and comments were posted online on blogs. Podcasts were prepared and distributed. Image storing websites were inundated with photographs of the event. Suddenly the world had found an alternative source of news.

So much is the pressure created by citizen journalists on traditional news providers that private TV channels solely broadcasting user generated content (UGC) have started sprouting up. Al Gore, the former US vice-president, after the successful launch of Current in the US, has launched a similar version in the UK. According to him, Current TV will broadcast non-fiction videos by “people making TV for the first time, and making it well”. The news segment will include charts of the most-searched terms as well as clips of popular Google stories.

BBC’s website invites users to not only send their comments and opinions regarding an event that has taken place, but also photographs taken by them. This not only allows a first hand review of the situation (allowing the name of the sender to be published next to the comment), but also visual evidence as well. For the sender, it serves as a sense of accomplishment and success (at having a by-line or a photo on BBC). For the news provider (such as BBC), it provides free content, something they would have either been unable to obtain or would have cost them plenty in the process.

The role of citizen journalism in today’s world was further highlighted by the staging of the Citizen Journalism Awards 2006 in the UK. Judged by a recognised and distinguished panel the awards were held to recognise the importance of being aware of one’s surroundings and taking an active part in it. The Awards not only benefited the participants in creating more opportunities for them, but also provided the adrenaline to future aspiring journalists who had previously termed “getting in the paper” one for the faggots. Websites such as iTalkNews and OhmyNews have enabled an outlet for interested bloggers and ordinary people to contribute. Scoopt is one such website that invites users to take news-worthy photographs and upload it to the website straight off their mobile phones. The website will then try and sell it to newspapers and magazines, giving users a share of the sale.

One huge drawback regarding the citizen journalism phenomena is of course credibility and authenticity. While photographs and newsbytes can be traced and checked before being published or printed, news clippings and text on blogs and podcasts does not come stamped with authenticity. While there are thousands of blogs online printing hard news, there are many who are not. Mainstream news outlets, both broadcast and print, are responsible for verifying what they print. Bloggers aren’t. And no rule governing authenticity and credibility online, these bogus sites hamper what is truly a sensational drive into news coverage. Some active users have even set up their own online radio and TV stations disseminating news regarding various events. The majority, unverified.

However, therein lies the duty of the listener (or reader in some cases). To believe material pertaining to a piece of news, it should either be from a credible source (for example, a well-known news channel on TV) or have been verified at some point (either while the listening or reading process or at the end of it). Facts should be labelled as such before a follow-up is to occur.

The presence of a few spurious news-spreaders on the internet cannot take anything away from the steep rise that citizen journalism has witnessed in the last few months. Since it is a method of augmenting what the professional journalists are doing as well as providing stories that will otherwise not be making the news, it is to be taken as a hearty addition to the news sources. Not to forget how wide a grin it might bring to your face when standing amongst peers holding that newspaper with your name in it.

© Faras Ghani 2009. Published in Spider April 2007

© 2009 Faras Ghani. Page template courtesy of ELATED.com. Last updated 12th May, 2009.