The downside of citizen journalism
Posted by Evan Fell on December 14, 2007 at 12:36 PM
Citizen journalism has become much more popular lately, with the rise of the CNN YouTube debate, political blogs, cell phone video.
David Hazinski, an associate professor of telecommunications and head of broadcast news at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism, says that this new trend is not really journalism and it simply opens up the news to fraud and abuse.
Hazinski says that calling people equipped with video cameras and cell phones citizen journalists “is like saying someone who carries a scalpel is a "citizen surgeon" or someone who can read a law book is a "citizen lawyer."”
Hazinski says that education, skill and standards are all needed to be a true and trusted professional journalist. Citizen journalists, he says, merely have the tools.
However, for journalism there are no set standards, no necessary licensing, testing, mandatory education or boards of review, which allow anyone to call themselves journalists.
Many media outlets are now encouraging citizen journalists because it is a way to interact with their audience and it allows them to obtain a free source of information.
Citizen journalism does bring the opportunity for abuse, as Hazinski shows through the following examples:
“CNN's last YouTube Republican debate included a question from a retired general who is on Hillary Clinton's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender steering committee. False Internet rumors about Sen. Barack Obama attending a radical Muslim school became so widespread that CNN and other news agencies did stories debunking the rumors. There are literally hundreds of Internet hoaxes and false reports passed off as true stories, tracked by sites such as snopes.com.”
Hazinski says citizen journalism can be valuable as the following things are done:
• Major news organizations must create standards to substantiate citizen-contributed information and video, and ensure its accuracy and authenticity.
• They should clarify and reinforce their own standards and work through trade organizations to enforce national standards so they have real meaning.
• Journalism schools such as mine at the University of Georgia should create mini-courses to certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures, much as volunteer teachers, paramedics and sheriff's auxiliaries are trained and certified.
Hazinski says, “Journalism organizations who choose to do nothing may soon find the line between professional and citizen journalism gone as well as.”
Source: ajc.com
Hazinski says that calling people equipped with video cameras and cell phones citizen journalists “is like saying someone who carries a scalpel is a "citizen surgeon" or someone who can read a law book is a "citizen lawyer."”
Hazinski says that education, skill and standards are all needed to be a true and trusted professional journalist. Citizen journalists, he says, merely have the tools.
However, for journalism there are no set standards, no necessary licensing, testing, mandatory education or boards of review, which allow anyone to call themselves journalists.
Many media outlets are now encouraging citizen journalists because it is a way to interact with their audience and it allows them to obtain a free source of information.
Citizen journalism does bring the opportunity for abuse, as Hazinski shows through the following examples:
“CNN's last YouTube Republican debate included a question from a retired general who is on Hillary Clinton's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender steering committee. False Internet rumors about Sen. Barack Obama attending a radical Muslim school became so widespread that CNN and other news agencies did stories debunking the rumors. There are literally hundreds of Internet hoaxes and false reports passed off as true stories, tracked by sites such as snopes.com.”
Hazinski says citizen journalism can be valuable as the following things are done:
• Major news organizations must create standards to substantiate citizen-contributed information and video, and ensure its accuracy and authenticity.
• They should clarify and reinforce their own standards and work through trade organizations to enforce national standards so they have real meaning.
• Journalism schools such as mine at the University of Georgia should create mini-courses to certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures, much as volunteer teachers, paramedics and sheriff's auxiliaries are trained and certified.
Hazinski says, “Journalism organizations who choose to do nothing may soon find the line between professional and citizen journalism gone as well as.”
Source: ajc.com
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Personally, I don't believe on citizen journalism. But the way Hazinski is presenting things is like "professional journalism" is a guaranty of fair et true reporting.
What about the weapon of mass destruction for example. Where was the good journalism in American media? Even the NYT was writing down the propaganda of the Bush administration.
What about the scandal of the healthcare system in America? Where is the fair reporting on that?
Professional journalism is not a guaranty and it is where the so called "citizen journalists" can play a role. To keep hem honest as CNN loves to say!