Ian Tomlinson
When Ian Tomlinson died, it was a video filmed by a member of the public that showed that he was hurt by a police officer. The video is different from professional journalism as it was filmed on a video phone so it is of poor quality. Without citizen journalism, the reason for the heart attack which caused his death would have never been known.
Arab Spring
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter helped citizens of Arab countries to organise protests as they could spread information quickly and to large groups of people at one time. Social networking offers freedom of speech, whereas it is less likely for a professional journalist to publicise things that would go against their government, such as the protests. The Arab Spring has meant that many countries that have been under dictatorship have been able to start a revolution as social networking has given them the power to overthrow these dictators.
Friday 21 October 2011
Wednesday 19 October 2011
The Rise and Rise of UGC
1. Citizen journalists are members of the public who create their own news. This could be by posting articles online through UGC such as blogs, but it also involves any footage that has been created. Citizen journalists often film big events and send the footage into news institutions.
2. One of the first examples of citizen journalism was in 1991 when Rodney King was beaten by the police, and a member of the public filmed it. The footage was shown on news channels around the world.
3. News organisations now allow audience participation through voting (phone and online), surveys, questioning people in the street, online forums.
4. The main difference between professionally shot footage and UGC is that professionally shot footage is of a better quality as the professionals were prepared as they were expecting to be filming, but UGC is filmed on the spot and would be of a poorer quality as people are trying to get in on the action and whatever is happening may have been unexpected. Also, professionally shot footage is filmed on expensive camera equipment, where UGC is usually filmed on video phones.
5. A gatekeeper is someone who controls what is and isn’t going to be published depending on the popularity of the story.
6. Gatekeeping roles have changed because it is harder to control the news that people hear about due to citizen journalism. Gatekeepers now have to try to regulate the internet.
7. The primary concern of journalists over UGC is that citizen journalists are taking their jobs so there is no longer as much need for professional journalists. Audiences often trust citizen journalism more than media institutions as citizen journalism has no bias or gatekeeping.
2. One of the first examples of citizen journalism was in 1991 when Rodney King was beaten by the police, and a member of the public filmed it. The footage was shown on news channels around the world.
3. News organisations now allow audience participation through voting (phone and online), surveys, questioning people in the street, online forums.
4. The main difference between professionally shot footage and UGC is that professionally shot footage is of a better quality as the professionals were prepared as they were expecting to be filming, but UGC is filmed on the spot and would be of a poorer quality as people are trying to get in on the action and whatever is happening may have been unexpected. Also, professionally shot footage is filmed on expensive camera equipment, where UGC is usually filmed on video phones.
5. A gatekeeper is someone who controls what is and isn’t going to be published depending on the popularity of the story.
6. Gatekeeping roles have changed because it is harder to control the news that people hear about due to citizen journalism. Gatekeepers now have to try to regulate the internet.
7. The primary concern of journalists over UGC is that citizen journalists are taking their jobs so there is no longer as much need for professional journalists. Audiences often trust citizen journalism more than media institutions as citizen journalism has no bias or gatekeeping.
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