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Ramblings

by Mike Masnick

Fri, Sep 9th 2005 2:30pm





The Changing Nature Of Journalism In Action

from the here-we-go-again dept

The concept of "citizen journalism" has been done to death already, of course, but two interesting pieces from E-Media Tidbits today shows exactly how the concept really is changing and impacting the media business. The first discusses the stories saying that FEMA is now trying to ban photojournalists from photographing certain images. In an age when so many people have digital cameras and cameraphones, the whole idea that you even could ban such picture taking is ridiculous. At best, all they're doing is encouraging more "amateur" photographers to start taking pictures on their own and spreading them online as quickly as possible. Given typical government (at all levels) blindness to realities on the ground, it really shouldn't be any surprise at all that they would think a simple ban on taking photographs would work. Even more interesting, however, is the concept of victim journalism as opposed to straight citizen journalism. One of the "problems" people have had with citizen journalism all along is the idea that those reporting on events aren't trained journalists, and therefore unable to have the correct objective perspective (which, of course, falsely assumes that professional journalists are able to really be objective in their own right). However, the concept being described as "victim journalism" takes away the idea of objectivity entirely -- and notes that the people actually involved in the event are writing up their own accounts of the event and posting it online. Readers certainly know their bias, but getting the views of participants in an event can make it seem that much more real. The point here isn't that citizen journalism is, in any way, "replacing" traditional journalism, but that it's adding another layer that simply didn't exist on a widescale basis before.

7 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    dorpus, Sep 9th, 2005 @ 3:14pm

    False Threats

    Here is an example of problematic citizen journalism -- a bored housewife made a false claim on a net forum, claiming "he" killed 8 kids and buried them in the mountain. What's to prevent more citizens from making outrageous, borderline-believable claims?

    http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20050909-00000207-jij-soci

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Dourpus, Sep 9th, 2005 @ 3:25pm

    Re: False Threats

    What's to prevent citizens from making outrageous, borderline-believable claims?

    That question is asked every time you make a post Dorpus.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    identicon
    Anonymous of Course, Sep 10th, 2005 @ 5:18pm

    Re: False Threats

    Eh, I expect no worse from citizen journalists than from the professionals. In earlier times "kodak fiends" were summarily excuted for taking photos of the dead after similar disasters. Today our sensibilites are coarsened and our sensed muted by a constant barrage of shock journalism. What harm could more photos do?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Sep 12th, 2005 @ 7:13am

    Not This Case

    Your kid drowns, and you are going to plaster pictures of her dead body all over the internet because you were the "victim" of a hurricane? No, don't think so.

    And I don't remember any relatives going out a taking pictures of their loved ones plastered on the sidewalk when they jumped from the twin towers after 9-11 (of course they would have the get the pics in before the buildings collapsed)

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    juztin gabrielle iela victoria tan epon, Sep 11th, 2008 @ 12:30am

    just want to know about..........

    In the former years,journalism is a ever liable source of knowledge.Now how do you say so that the nature of journalism is changing?What are the aspects in life that change journalism little by little?Please explain.Thank you!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    juztin gabrielle iela victoria tan epon, Sep 11th, 2008 @ 12:30am

    just want to know about..........

    In the former years,journalism is a ever liable source of knowledge.Now how do you say so that the nature of journalism is changing?What are the aspects in life that change journalism little by little?Please explain.Thank you!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    identicon
    clare, Dec 1st, 2009 @ 12:59am

    in doubt....

    journalism has been classified as a subject under socail science.what makes it so?how can we better classify journalism as?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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