Citizen Journalism: Amateur Experience, Professional Quality

Since smart phones were invented, they have completely revolutionized the way society communicates, receives information, and goes about spreading news over a wide spread area. With one single device in your hand, we have access to pretty much anything we can dream of. It has not always been like this with smartphones though. The early versions, most notably the blackberry, focused more on the ability to email and message your friends, and there was a certain exclusivity behind it as well, almost like a club. Originally, the costs of these phones were through the roof, discouraging most Americans from attaining one. These days, with the unfathomable advancements made in technology, not only are smartphones better, faster, and stronger, but there is a wide range of pricing options, thus eliminating the exclusive club and replacing it with an all accepting club.

 These days, if you don’t have a smartphone, you’re pretty much out of the loop with what’s going on in the world. With global news available with the tap of a finger, the speed with which we receive and digest information has increased exponentially. Additionally, in the past, there has never been a forum for normal citizens to post news and share it with the world. Now, with Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, as soon as you upload a picture, your entire social network knows about it. Although, while facebook and twitter are key, youtube is without a doubt the most used and efficient way of sharing information, and it is in video form none the less. Anyone with access to a computer can upload something to youtube at no cost, and within days, that video could be sent to millions of people. It is these improvements, all combined together, which have led to the evolution of citizen journalism.

Besides the education and experience, there isn’t much else that sets apart a professional journalist from a citizen journalist. Obviously the quality of the work is much better when a news station or paper delivers news, however with the increase in quickness of our computers and mobile devices, we now crave data every second we are awake. Even in the company of others, Americans cannot tear their face away from their phone. In the words of Harmon Leon taken from an Article in the Huffington post, “the cell phone has dramatically changed the face of journalism; that face is one of the citizen who wields his mobile device and captures news as it happens-instantly trumpeting the story to the world via social media.” Even famous journalists such as Katie Couric have recognized citizen journalism as a legitimate form of reporting, as evidenced by this Video.

            While the video definitely highlights some of the best moments in the history of citizen journalism, I feel that one event in 2008 changed citizen journalism from a laughed about term to a respected field, and that is the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. With an event as drastic and impactful as the one in Mumbai, it was necessary for the world to understand exactly what transpired, when it transpired, and how it transpired. Just minutes after the attack, pictures from citizen journalist throughout the city were being uploaded to different social media sites, illustrating the wreckage and destruction that had taken place. As journalists continued to upload pictures and even give details on the exact location and time of these attacks, thousands of people began to follow the situation on these sites as opposed to waiting for the regular news outlets. Not only were the citizen journalists quicker with their updates, they were also able to provide information that typical reporters would not have access too. 

As stated by Andy Heath in an Article  for a freelance photojournalism site, “It was a vivid reminder that the Internet has made well-placed amateurs and independent journalists more powerful than ever before.”   Everything that Mr. Heath says is in that statement is on point, but one term he mentions holds true as possibly the key component of citizen journalism, and that is the part about being in the right place at the right time. One could devote their free time to always being ready with their phone to capture a special moment, but unless you are actually there, experiencing what is happening when these pictures are taken, then the point of citizen journalism is lost. The best part to me about this type of reporting, is that you feel everything that the journalist is feeling. Not only are they taking a picture of the attacks in Mumbai, they are actually in the middle of it, fearing for their lives, but still maintaining enough control to accurately capture a glimpse of the current state of the world. That is what makes citizen journalism so special.  

**Here is an additional clip that shows some of the reports by citizen journalists from Mumbai.