Ways that mainstream and citizen media can cooperate

Attendees reported on the status of the budding participatory journalism in their home countries, where young reporters are excited about the potential of multimedia convergence and the use of new technology.  

In a discussion of viewpoints towards journalists and citizen media, it was agreed upon that there are both legitimate criticisms and benefits.  Yelvington encouraged journalists to use the Internet “as a listening post” to discover the priorities of the global community.  Nevertheless, as Anderson explained his blog post about the workshop, journalists must sift through this wealth of information, sorting true leads from false rumor.

Using a “conversational method,” Dan Gillmor used reader opinions before finalizing a story for the Sunday paper.  After posting the initial facts in a blog post, he solicited reader input as to how to further the story, such as which questions to ask and which people to interview.  Although this process may not work for every story, Gillmor said that mainstream media companies should work with citizen journalism at every possible opportunity through wikis, blogs, photo and video galleries, and social networks.

 “We used to be the source of information,” explained Yelvington, “But now there is information flowing around us.  Some of it is bad.”  Despite the inevitable false information that comes with citizen journalism, mainstream media would do well to interoperate with these eager participants to further develop the journalism industry and strengthen its product.

Source: Guardian Unlimited