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ADAM - YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT MY POSTS WERE UPDATED AFTER FRIDAY. I HAVE CODED HYPERLINKS AND JOURNALS TODAY FROM MY POSTS TO ELIMINATE THE ISSUE OF OTHER STUDENTS USING MY RESEARCH TO FORM THE BULK OF THEIR ESSAY :-)

CNN International hosts a panel discussion on the role of mobile technology in newsgathering, journalism and the consumption of news, at the Frontline Club in London on 22nd July 2010. Panellists include Louis Gump (CNN), Ben Hammersley (Wired UK), Alex Wood (Freelance Mobile Journalist), Andy Dickinson (University of Central Lancashire) and Jonathan Hewett (City University)

Mobile phones are changing the way we learn about and experience news. Citizen journalists and ordinary people are, increasingly, beating news crews to the scene of breaking news stories - the first accounts, often including photographs and video footage, of many of the defining news stories of our times have been captured and shared by ordinary people using mobile phones. Mobile technology is also becoming an essential part of the professional journalist’s tool-kit, allowing stories to be told with greater immediacy than ever before. Mobiles are also changing the way we consume news, allowing people on the move to keep abreast of the stories important to them.

Citizen journalism is a very important part of documenting historical events that happen throughout time, especially with the technology that we have available to us today. If someone is in the right place at the right time, they have the opportunity to use a camera phone, for example, to capture a specific moment that a major news network wouldn’t get the chance to.

A good example of the importance of citizen journalism can be the Twin Tower terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. The reason why we have videos and pictures of the planes crashing into the building is because of bystanders who happened to be at the scene of the crime, and were able to use their video cameras, cell phones, or digital cameras to capture these moments. The footage that these bystanders were able to obtain appeared all over the news for many months. This is a perfect example of citizen journalism. While those people weren’t paid to take those videos, it can still be considered a form of journalism. It may not be “professional journalism” but I think the term citizen journalism describes it very well.

http://apins.!wordpress.com/!2009/02/15/citizen-journalism/

Week 8 - Essay Prep

     CITIZEN JOURNALISM

                     Author: David Field                 Airline Business Vol: 24 Issue: 7 ISSN: 0268-           7615 Date: 07/2008 Start Page: 54
  Citizen journalismJournal ArticleAuthor: Mary Ellen QuinnAmerican Libraries Vol: 38 Issue: 8 ISSN: 0002-9769 Date: 09/2007 Start Page: 81Subjects: Weblogs… we are in another age of “citizen journalism.” Barlow acknowledges there’s a dark side to the blogosphere, characterized by shoddy cut-and-paste research.

CITIZEN JOURNALISM
Author: AnonymousAbstract“The jury is still out on whether WikiNews will work, but the wiki model does seem to succeed with Wikipedia,” [Steve Outing] writes. 

Week 9 Tute Task - Part 2

Tutorial Task for week 9:
Write out the question that you would like to answer for your essay.

Increasingly mobile devices are an aid to the gathering and reporting of information, both by professional journalists and “citizen journalists”.  Outline the advantages and disadvantages of this sort of news gathering. How might it impact on journalistic practices and news values and ethics? 

Find at LEAST 3 books or journal articles that you are useful to answering your question.   You should write 50 words about each of the resources;  focus on the following:

•                what is the key argument or information in this resource? 

•                Is the view or information the same as the other resources you have found? 

•                How does it contribute to your argument?

•                Is there a key quote that describes the main point of the article?

SOURCE 1:    JSTOR http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/!!reportsitem.aspx?id=100542 
KEY QUOTE - “We know now that when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership”.
The journalists’ role is now to concentrate harder on how, when and where we can add value through our strengths of analysis, context, background and range. But as we do this we must be open to what members of the public bring to our attention. And as long as what they do bring is clearly labeled and attributed, I see no inherent problem with sharing it widely. When handled properly, it adds value and improves quality.
BRINGS EVIDENCE/EXAMPLES TO MY ARGUMENT - This source lists three main occurrences in history that would not have received the depth of knowledge, coverage and background if it was not for citizens and their production of background information/footage.

KEY POINT** Its simple. As new communication technology develops, and as society grows more and more driven toward ‘fast’ and ‘convenient’ entertainment - our news needs to coincide with this demand. 

 SOURCE 2:   GOOGLE SCHOLAR http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MFh_D-eGQWsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=!!citizen+journalism&ots=W9zyczIrDW&sig=j-p66v36iFsi5IWEcU9jDIOZoZE#v=onepage&q&f=!false

KEY QUOTE/ELABORATION OF ARGUMENT- “Ordinary people are often compelled to adopt the role of a reporter as they bear witness to crisis events unfolding around them.”
Citizen journalism has proved to be creatively adept at putting to work the now constantly updating and superseding communication technologies that have become widely available.

Sometimes the press aren’t allowed access to certain events, or they aren’t there in time to catch the story. This is where ordinary citizens come in. News journalists need the publics help.
OTHER EXAMPLES:
(World Trade Center - 9/11)
(Tsunami in Thailand)
KEY POINT** Citizen journalism and traditional journalism have to work hand in hand. However we have to be careful as to the reliability of the sources we are receiving the news feeds from.
We can not rely solely on news stories submitted by ordinary members of the public, because they can lack credibility.

SOURCE 3:   GOOGLE SCHOLAR
http://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?!q=citizen+journalism&hl=en&btnG=!Search&as_sdt=2001&as_sdtp=on
Kahney, L. Citizen reporters make the news. Wired News (17 May 2003). Available at http://www.wired.com/ news/culture/0,1284,58856,00.html (accessed 3 June 2004).

Background of Citizen Journalism
ADDS BACKGROUND INFORMATION/DEFINITIONS TO MY ARGUMENT
(will be used at the beginning)

Citizen journalism, which often builds on, debates, and critiques the published reports of mainstream journalistic organizations, can also be seen as a form of collaborative filtering – sifting through the vast amount of information now available in online environments in order to discover the most relevant, important, or useful information for specific purposes or communities.

All journals sourced will state the same argument – that citizen journalism is crucial to the development of our future (and its news), but should be used carefully, not as a sole source of information.



ESSAY RESEARCH
Citizen Journalism is still a relatively new medium, with a few key players dominating the playing field. Sites like DigitalJournal.com, NowPublic, OhMyNews and Newsvine are carving a niche in the world of citizen-powered news media 

ESSAY RESEARCH

Possibly one of the most debated news trends and one of the most well-known, citizen journalism. Critics call it journalism on the cheap, unskilled hacks putting out stories that are heavy on opinion and light on fact. According to those championing amateur reporters, it is a way to keep mainstream media honest and in some cases, it’s just about the only way to get a story out. 

This video presents the many dangers associated with posting personal information on social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace and how to protect yourself from unwanted attention.

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