Citizen Journalism

Citizen Journalism also known as public, participatory or street journalism, is a specific form of citizen media broadcasting that has been created by the public, for the public. It is the concept where members of the public who aren't qualified journalist can play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting and broadcasting news and information. The public essenitally create citizen journalism by way of user comments attached to news stories, personal blogs, sites such as twitter, facebook and flickr and numerous other avenues. Photos or video footage captured from mobile phone cameras can be sent to news organisations or simply placed in personal blogs in a matter of minutes. This helps create uncensored, raw journalism that is uncommon in mainstream media, creating a modern phenomena that is rapidly gaining in popularity. The catalyst for this recent trend in media comunication has been the internet, which has given the "average" person the ability to communicate information world wide at the touch of a button.

When the 9/11 bombings and the Victorian Bush Fires occurred it was Citizen Journalism through the form of a mobile upload and twitter that was the first means of communicating to the world what had just occurred. Media networks have seen the benefit and value of this form of journalism, with many providing areas on their websites for the public to post their own pictures, news, or views. Without citizen journalism newsworthy stories such as the Iran elections could not have been televised to the world as professional journalists were not allowed to report the events.

In closing, I too would like to express a new found appreciation for all the Citizen Journalists out there, you have been an inspiration for many people worldwide to be proactive and seek the truth. The truth is out there......