Journalism diversifies; welcome citizens!

Citizen journalism is the new emerging trend the world over. Are they going to be a threat to professional journalist is a million dollar question?

A professional journalist has the prerequisite qualification and is trained in collecting and presenting news in an accurate, objective and balanced manner. More importantly he is aware of the general guidelines set by the government or press regulatory bodies with regard to ethics, principle and the do and don’ts of journalism. Whereas the citizen journalism has no professional qualification in presenting news, the credibility and accuracy of the news at times is questionable. The editor has to depend on trust about the news accuracy coming from citizen journalist and mostly absolve the newspaper of any accountability.

The flip side of citizen journalism is that there is tendency of some people misusing it to settle personal score with some one. A politician finding himself at loggerhead with the local press; can misuse citizen journalist to get even or fend off criticism from the press.

 
Here are three thumb rules to be followed by aspiring citizen journalists:
 

• Keep up with public affairs: Commit to becoming a bit of a newshound. Whether you prefer newspapers, television, the Internet, or radio, always au fait on the latest events. Read opinion magazines to see what other people are thinking about, and create your own list of priorities. Citizen journalists should ideally cover not just what professional journalists cover, as well or better, but also much that they ignore.

• Have an unbiased view, share it: It’s of immense importance that citizens hold a view on every issue. Whether for or against, you should always have a fair and objective opinion about everything. Of course, if you have an opinion, others are bound to argue with you about it. This is not a bad thing. Much can be learned from a free and open discourse. It is when citizens tune out and get disconnected that the politicians and the media use free will to its benefits.

• Believe in free flow of information: The official mass media often kills an issue or a debate after a certain point of time when it stops boosting its TRP. Citizen journalists can act as a countervailing force for such lapses and excesses in the mainstream media. For instance, the unstoppable paparazzi to Rahul Mahajan came to an abrupt end. A majority of the viewers who received an overdose of the whole incident in the beginning could not comprehend the sudden death of the controversy in the professional media circles.