Chapter 11 in the book The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect the chapter suggests technology has made it possible for citizens to be players in the news and and become partners of traditional media in times of crisis, and we’ve seen dramatic events are not the only time when citizens journalism can or should be used.
Daisy, the host of TWIM, started a discussion on a TWIM podcast a while ago on the change in how people want to get their information and updates. In a recent poll the majority of participants determined that the Internet was their number one source on information. One person on the show said that this is completely understandable because media consumers want to know what is happening when it is happening. However, there was somewhat of a rebuttal, another guest said that sure people do want know get information fast, but would they prefer it were more accurate or complete?
The answer is both. But do I think that online sites like Twitter can give as accurate or complete of information on a news topic as the newspaper can? No. Is that a sacrifice people are willing to make? Yes. I do agree with Daisy when she suggests that people participating in “citizen journalism” through social networking sites do need to be wary of spreading information that could very well be gossip. It’s essential to fact check, and to also go to sources that would have more information. As the newspaper moves more toward the Internet, those sites will become more viable and factual than sites that use the grapevine to send news.
As you scan through your twitter feed, the Facebook updates and other new media resources, realize when news is reliable and valid and when it might not be. Each of us can make adjustments to make to the information we generate and share to make it more reliable and accurate.
“Today, when the world is awash in information, the role of the press becomes different. When information is abundant and available all the time everywhere, a new relationship between the press and the public needs to be formed. And just as the values of journalism do not change in this new competitive atmosphere, the role does not change much, either. Where once the role was simply providing information as a tool of self-governance, it now becomes a role to provide citizens with the tools they need to extract knowledge for themselves from the undifferentiated flood of rumor, propaganda, gossip, fact, assertion, and allegation the communications system now produces. Thus the journalist must not only make sense of the world but also make sense of the flood of information as it is being delivered to citizens.”
What should journalists do? Be Transparent.
What should the public do? Use journalistic principles in their interactions and distribution of news.
