Citizen Journalism

" The 11 layers of citizen journalism" by Steve Outing reads like a beginners guide for those hesitant to test the waters of citizen journalism. I find the prospect to be a necessary revolution of journalism but it is easy to see the less glorious aspects.

For those that consider themselves to be 'professional journalists' a world where the average Joe, with no degree, ethics or training, is attempting to inform others could be terrifying. With no higher order separating journalists from citizens, a journalism degree or job title may be rendered worthless.

What exactly are the qualifications to be a journalist? The answer is so subjective that I hesitate to refer to myself with the word. I've had classes in news writing and I've had articles published in a college newspaper but does that make me a better candidate to report than the next person? I'm not so sure.

As a student of mass communications I am thrilled that there is so much buzz around citizen journalism. It means that people want to share, comment on, and contribute to news. Isn't that the point of everything we do? We write in hopes that people will read or talk in hopes that people will listen. Thus we should provide a forum for audiences to get involved.

With this idea in mind, allowing readers to comment on articles (Outing's first step) is the very least we could do. Outing mentions that a small number of media outlets have taken even this small step, which is something I don't understand. There will always be those ignorant posters leaving rude comments but readers should have the freedom to learn as much as possible and decide what to believe. As mass communication majors we are taught to report news without any bias. Most of the time I believe this is a good standard. However, some great discussions and ideas are born of opinion meeting opposing opinion. We should encourage and help facilitate this opinion exchange, even if just through allowing public comment.

I'll spare you a breakdown of my thoughts on each of Outing's remaining listed steps. Needless to say, certain forms of citizen journalism are best left for specific outlets. For example, a stand alone citizen journalism website or print edition of such would likely be more trouble than it's worth for the circulation of the Reporter.

As far as websites like OhMyNews.com, with 70 percent citizen content and 30 percent professional reporters, they have their place in the media. There is no reason why sites like this can't co- exist with the more traditional, respected news outlets such as cnn.com.

The moral of the citizen journalism story? Go forth with caution. Give the public options and as much information as possible. It's just like the phrase they drilled into our heads in elementary school: knowledge is power.