Citizen Journalism
Citizen Journalism: The Use of Social Media for Social
Orientation and Career Opportunities for the YouthByMr. Adamkolo
Mohammed IbrahimPostgraduate Research Candidate, Department of
Communication, Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication
[email protected]
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. I am a citizen journalist. I am a concerned citizen. I care
for the development, safety and welfare of my surrounding. I
promise that I shall witness, record and share online information,
events and incidences that may emerge or occur in my surrounding
accurately and responsibly; Because I believe that sharing is
caring. I am proud to be a concerned citizen. I am proud to be a
citizen journalist.
Sharing is Caring
Im a Citizen Journalist Slogan
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Introduction
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Introduction
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?
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The concept of CJ is based on public citizens playing an active
role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and
disseminating news and information. CJ is a specific form of both
citizen media and user-generated content (UGC).
New media technology such as social networking sites (SNS) and
media-sharing websites in addition to the increasing prevalence of
mobile phones have made CJ more accessible to people worldwide.
Due to the availability of technology, citizens can often report
breaking news faster than traditional media reporters (Mashable
Asia, 2015).
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Furthermore, CJ has been described as an alternative an activist
form of news gathering and reporting that functions outside
mainstream media stations, often as a report to shortcomings in the
professional journalistic field that uses similar journalistic
principles but is driven by different objectives and ideals and
relies on alternative sources of legitimacy than traditional or
mainstream journalism.
CJ is also succinctly defined thus: When the people formerly
known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their
possession to inform one another(Freebase, 2015).
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?
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Simply put, a citizen journalist is someone who practices
citizen journalism.
s
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Characteristics of a citizen journalist
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Athe event or incidence online.WRSThe primary functions of a
citizen journalist are represented by
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A
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Differences between Covering and Sharing
Information?CoveringSharing
Research backgroundObserve the sceneInterview
participantsConsolidate informationReportParadigm: DetachmentTime
spent: hours to days
Create the backgroundLive in the sceneParticipateRemember the
informationShare a lifeParadigm: InvolvementTime spent: A
lifetime
vs
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Key Attributes that a Citizen Journalist is Required to
PossessPassionEmotional involvement in communication. Writing from
the heart. Living the story.Focusing on the content rather than the
structure.FlairThe interest to get involved in communal activities
for the safety and welfare of fellow membersCreativity Easily
understanding contexts/situationsKnowing how to maneuver and obtain
accurate informationConscience Mindfulness of the
situationMindfulness of the laws of the land while recording and
sharing informationMindfulness of the rights of individuals, groups
and organisations to privacyOperating within the limits of the
freedom of expression in the land
Innovativeness The use of prior experience and skills to evolve
new ways of gathering and disseminating informationReadiness and
willingness to accept change
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Key Attributes that a Citizen Journalist is Required to
PossessNetwork The ability to form and or connect to series of
individuals, groups and even media organisations both offline and
online in order to enhance information sharing (this could be an
opportunity to build a career path in the future)Curiosity
Readiness and willingness to learn new thingsBrowsing the Internet
with open and inquisitive mindPaying attention to happenings in the
locality Sacrifice Being active and willing to render services free
for the benefit of everyoneProlificacyAbility to work in both
familiar and strange situations andAbility to engage in CJ
oftenSharingThe desire to learn through communityA concern for the
needs of othersA willingness to let go
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New technology allows instant publishing of stories about
sporting events, entertainment and parties, academic activities and
even stories related to petsNew technology permits easier sharing
of birthday, religious and cultural ceremoniesNew technology
facilitates smooth recording and uploading online of students
political activities, achievements, friend-making and even
quarrelling and other indecent bahaviours.Peer editing,
encouragement and attention can encourage effortThe range of
technology allows students to communicate in the medium that works
best for them.The work of students can easily be shared with
parents at home and the community on campus.
on Campus
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Fundamental Concepts of Citizen Journalism
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Things to remember: In Citizen Journalism:.
SHARINGCARING=
Dont be shyif you are shy, your shyness will shade you!!! A
citizen journalist is obsessivebut not excessive!!!
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Things to remember in
A
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Examples of incidences shared by citizen journalists.
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Tips to note before sharingPre-recordingPost-recordingConsider
safety firstConsider privacy Prioritize audio-visualConsider
zooming in & out the lens of your camera (zoom out to show
establishment shot; zoom in to show critical details)Concentrate on
critical subject/objectTake as many audio-visual/photo shorts as
possibleIdentify yourself, if necessaryConduct a prompt
interviewType a brief story about the event/incidence (remember to
type a terse, relevant title to your story)Upload decent
audio-visual/photos (remember to type a short title to your
audio-visual footage, or a caption to your photo (s))Use simple
languageHighlight access/contact information, if possible (and if
permitted)
Select best video clips, audio-visual footages & photosMake
simple editing, if necessaryAvoid cosmeticization, e.g., photo
shopping techniques such as enhancing the quality of the
audio-visual/photosConsider sharing on popular online news and blog
sites (in addition to your own online profile(s))
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Getting Started: Citizen Journalism & Career Paths Blogging:
An easy way to post text. Last post written is first read, so
encourages frequent writing. Photo sharing: Instagram, Flickr,
Pinterest, Photobucket, Picassa. The effect of the haze on public
health, for example. Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Foursquare, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc. The political
implications of the Bersih 4.0 and The Red-Shirt rallies, for
example. Virtual reality: Create an entire new world online.
Malaysia: The Rainbow of the Southeast Asia, for example. Open
Source Journalism: Citizen journalists mediate between the society
and professional journalists: As the event occurs, we share it
(after weve witnessed and recorded it).
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Creating a BlogWordpress http://wordpress.org/MoveableType
http://www.movabletype.org/Live Journal
http://www.livejournal.com/Blogger http://www.blogger.com/ Micro
Blog:Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ Network sites for
Professionals:LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/ Network of
Like-minded Groups OnlineMalaysian Network of Citizen Journalists
http://www.cj.my/ Recommended How-To-Do-It site How to edit and
share video as citizen
journalisthttp://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/05/14/how-t-edit-and-share-video-citizen-journalist/26731503/
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My Blog, My Virtual World!!!Things to put in the blogDaily
report from the classroom, kolej (hostel), sports, homework, prep,
religious and spiritual program schedules A selection of (or all)
stories written by studentsPhotos, artwork or hand-written stories
(after scanning)Poetry unitsMath puzzlesScience
projectsResearchHolidaying Kolej events, etc
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Remember that:Content of a blog is in reverse order -- the most
recent entry is on top.Older posts dont go away, they are just
lower on the page.Each entry in a blog has its own URL -- meaning
that you can send a link to a single story to someone.Adding photos
is very, very easy.Handwritten material works quite well if
scanned.Blogs are especially good for team projects.
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A CJ is Civilized & CaringSafety 1st!!!Ethics of CJ
No profanityNo nudityNo personal attacksNo attacks on race,
religion, national origin, gender or sexual orientation
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Sources & Further Readings
Alejandro, J. (2010). Journalism in the age of social media.
Hilary and Trinity Terms 2010, Thompson Reuters Foundation.Bentley,
C. H. (n.d.). Introducing citizen journalism to the journalism
school. OhMyNews International Citizen Journalism Forum. Bentley,
C. H. (n.d.). Online citizen journalism: A new old-fashioned
teaching opportunity. Missouri Press Foundation. Freebase (2015).
Citizen journalism. Available at
http://www.freebase.com/media_common/media_genre?schema= Lewis, S.
C., Kaufhold, K. & Lasorsa, D. L. (2010). Thinking about
citizen journalism: The philosophical and practical challenges of
user-generated content for community newspapers. Journalism
Practice, 4(2), 163-179. DOI:10.1080/1461670090315691 Mashable Asia
(2015). Citizen journalism. Available at
http://www.mashable.com/category/citizen-journalism/ Ross, R. &
Cormier, S. C. (2010). The call for one million citizen journalists
and the skills to make them successful: Handbook for citizen
journalists. Denver, Colorado, USA: National Association of Citizen
Journalists.
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