This blog article you are reading right now is a type of Citizen Journalism. This form of journalism means the collection and reporting of information via social media, public platforms, and traditional news outlets, either by non-traditional sources or the public. Basically, this means you do not have to be on the formal occupation of the press in order to have your opinion and words to be shared in the world.
Immediately after seeing this specific definition, I wanted to know the origin of Citizen Journalism. Surprisingly, it started in this century. In South Korea, in 2000, the online entrepreneur Oh Yeon-ho declared "every citizen is a reporter" and made Citizen Journalism a more popular term to use. This philosophy of his concerning news sharing also came about due to not liking how his country's major news outlets were converting the topics of the day. When he launched his news site with this mindset in 2000, he only had 757 contributors, which is a decent amount. However, this pales in comparison to 2007 when he gained 50,000 contributors thanks to reporters from different countries adding up to around 100 different locations. This to me shows people like to hear from the everyday man as much as the local anchor on ABC 11.
To gain a better idea of this concept, here are some examples.
As is well known, in November 1963 Dallas Texas was host to a tragedy on a national level. Former President John F. Kenedy was assassinated while on his motorcade route. The footage was recorded by Abraham Zapunder with his home movie camera following Kennedy as the unforeseen horror unfolded. Eventually, this was seen around the major national news outlets of the time.
Twitter is a major venue of Citizen Journalism. In February of 2012, Whitney Houston's death was reported on this platform an hour before any mainstream press outlet discussed this event.
April 2013 yet another travesty, the Boston Marathon Bombing. Citizens reported through various means: videos, photos, tweets, skype calls, blogs, etc. As a result, news channels relied heavily on these updates from their citizens.
All these examples show we, as citizens, can not only be more effective in getting news out quicker, but news outlets can use and rely upon the opinions we put out into the world. Zapunder's footage was heavily used in news cycles. Twitter jumped on the chance to announce the passing of a beloved singer before the news could first. The citizens of Boston were filming front row footage of updates through many mediums the news referenced due to their abundance and live updates.
After researching this term and realizing its existence, I have come to realize how much power and influence I have. I have shown unknowingly by typing out these blogs weekly how my research can better someone's understanding. I am grateful to now know I am apart of this area of news in this specific niche. I hope this encourages you to become more prominent with your voice but to also do your research first--thoroughly-- before posting. As discussed last week, what you say on the internet is stored on servers and saved. When you make a tweet, you are technically an author that is logged into a server. I have seen one in Raleigh, North Carolina a few years ago when I was a Page. This is stated to prevent thinking before you speak (or in this case type) and better the world with your thoughts and experiences.
Resources:
Study.com
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-citizen-journalism-definition-examples.html
Brandwatch.com
https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/what-is-citizen-journalism-and-how-does-it-influence-news/
Britannica.com
https://www.britannica.com/topic/citizen-journalism
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