Citizen Journalism: The Unforeseen Watchdogs
I’m guessing that before you landed to this article, you first came across different social media platforms to check the latest updates. Don’t worry, because I’m guilty as well, since it’s associated to what I’m about to discuss.
“The scope and speed of social media creates information that is available almost instantaneously at a global scale.” ~ John H. Heinrichs
As mentioned, media lets you discover fresh information that can be obtained around the world, in a short span of time. Hence, you are a piece of this puzzle that can be held accountable for the information being shared online. Otherwise, you can also hold someone liable for their actions in this type of media. However, it will always depend on the authenticity of the reports before it can be called as legitimate news.
“Citizen Journalism ─ means accepting that you can’t know everything and allowing other people, through technology, to be your eyes and your ears ─ it can mean not just being the passive consumers of news, but also co-producing news.” ~ Paul Lewis
Social media is both integrity and responsibility. That is why it is imperative that a user must discreetly filter his or her posts and responses in these applications. Social media is not only made for the sake of gaining popularity from your audience, but a reputation that needs to be regulated.
Misinformation, disinformation or even defamation, are the prevalent threats to us journalists. These actions are strictly prohibited and against the code of netiquette. With the wide array of possibilities you can do online, you can’t classify which is certain. Therefore, as a future media practitioner, I must place ethics at the top of my priorities. I must bear in mind these cautionary for the betterment of myself and future career. For these netiquettes will be the foundation of a professional personality that I’m building for the next coming years.
In conclusion, Citizen Journalism encompasses integrity, openness and authentication from the sources of information. These are some of my takeaways from the Ted Talks led by Paul Lewis.
