Essay Example on Citizen Journalism In modern society

Veronica Somers COM 101 001 1 8 2017 Citizen Journalism In modern society millennials are leading the way into the tech age Social media is no longer merely a way to stay connected with your friends It has evolved into a multipurpose media platform for bloggers businesses and anybody with an opinion and a phone to reach a mass audience Although this media platform brings a large amount of attention to brands events services bloggers etc there has been a rising issue to the concern of credibility Traditional journalism has brought ethics values and principles to the readers for centuries Now that the tech age is here and has brought the notion that everyone and their mother can now be a reporter these media platforms bring what is now called citizen journalism The public is able to post blogs forums photos and news without having any credibility In an article from DigitalJournal com I worry that many citizen journalists are basically amateurs who are simply mimicking what they see on TV or in the press to varying degrees of success says Jack Kapica a former reporter for Canada s Globe Mail and current writer and editorial advisor for DigitalJournal com Communicators practicing citizen journalism often find themselves battling to gain the trust of reporters and skeptical readers 

Traditional journalists go through extensive training experience and are looked over and guided by their superior editor along with countless fact checking Credibility is not only coming from the reporter and their degree of training but also the name of the newspaper that has worked hard to become a trusted and respectable source to gain factual information for their loyal readers Many issues can resolve for citizen journalism by gaining credibility Media platforms such as blogs Facebook and Twitter can gain a certain degree of credibility by maintaining an 1 image through the ability to gain factual information looked over and protected by an editorial staff or someone who has the background and knowledge they are able to transfer over from traditional journalism In order to maintain the credibility and gain loyal readers to citizen journalism there must be a clear distinction between traditional journalism and citizen journalism and readers must understand the difference According to BYU Scholar Archive Judging the Credibility and Professionalism of Citizen Journalism Versus Professional Journalism Currently the future of journalism cannot be determined but for now the literature indicates one thing is certain and that is change 

News is a business and news consumers decide who will be given attention Major changes will continue to occur in journalism throughout the 21st century No one can foresee the future citizen journalism has in store but in order to successfully gain a following of reader is to stay current factual and to change along with everything else In conclusion the tech age has brought new ways of communication along with new ways of producing news In this evolving society we have created citizen journalism and because there is no way to foresee the future there is one thing that could help make citizen journalism last in the news industry and that is to stay factual and accurate According to Ethical Journalism Network com Journalists cannot always guarantee truth but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism We should always strive for accuracy give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked When we cannot corroborate information we should say so Many professional journalists have been ruined by fabricating their articles Dishonesty and fiction only makes you a storyteller not a journalist reporter It is important to keep the meaning of journalism intact and that means to bring real concrete news to readers 

Technology will constantly evolve and credibility may not be a problem for citizen 2 journalism in the future but for now it is still a new concept and will be for a number of years Traditional journalism has had centuries to build credibility and loyal reader as well as develop ethics Now in modern society it is deemed acceptable for the public to call themselves reporters but for the sake of the meaning reporters journalist it is important to keep the integrity and respect of news and its objective which is to keep readers informed and up to date to current events that indeed factual and concrete Works Cited 3 Hogg Chris Is there credibility in citizen journalism Special Is there credibility in citizen journalism Includes interview 13 May 2009 www digitaljournal com article 271657 Hood Caroline Christiansen Judging the Credibility and Professionalism of Citizen Journalism Versus Professional Journalism Scholarsarchive byu edu Brigham Young University Provo 6 Dec 2011 scholarsarchive byu edu cgi viewcontent cgi referer https www google comhttp redir 1 article 3857 context etd Five Principles of Journalism Media Ethics Ethical Journalism Network ethical journalism network org who we are 5 principles of journalism 4