Citizen Journalism within the Creative Media Industry

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Possibly it’s good to know more about what we are actually doing as news gathers, citizen journalist. About the platforms we publish on and the reasons for the site owners being in business.

A survey report made in 2007

Chapter 1: The Big Picture
    • Chapter Introduction
    • About the Study
    • Hyperlocal Diversity
    • Defining Citizen Media
    • Common Characteristics
    • Having Impact

Chapter 2: Mapping Citizen Media Models
    • Chapter Introduction
    • Community Cooperatives
    • Trained Citizen Journalist Sites
    • Professional Journalist Non-profit Sites
    • Professional Journalist For-profit Sites
    • Blog Aggregator Sites
    • Syndicated Multi-site Models
    • Legacy Media Sites
    • Solo Enterprise Non-profit Sites
    • Solo Enterprise For-profit Sites

Chapter 3: Creating Content
    • Chapter Introduction
    • To Edit or Not
    • Mission Statements
    • Getting Back What You Put Out
    • Reverse Publishing: From Web to Print

Chapter 4: Building Interest
    • Chapter Introduction
    • Starting Out
    • Offering Feedback
    • Expanding Coverage
    • Assigning the Job
    • Building on Brands

Chapter 5: Making Money
    • Chapter Introduction
    • Bluffton Today
    • Wicked Local
    • New West
    • Village Soup
    • Backfence
    • Baristanet
    • Voice of San Diego

Chapter 6: Charting Success, Sustainability
    • Chapter Introduction
    • Community Sites
    • New Media Companies
    • Old Media Companies
    • Wish Lists

My opinion as a Citizen journalist and a news gatherer.

What I have noted from the very period that the social news communities started is when each community started the members where consulted and that’s how each community site improved in user friendliness. But then the administration took over in the efforts of making money.  Some sites have been then sold to the highest bidder, and those bidders have been mainstream professional media outlets.

The problem is that now members of long establish communities have and are being persuaded into becoming members of a business by the administrations that are trying to improve their profits. So much so the original concept seen by the founding members of a community, when they originally joined the community is lost.

The concept of citizen journalism has over a period of time has been lost as administrators of the original citizen journalist communities. Have placed more emphasis, on news gathering and advertising and the community spirit is lost. 

Then there are the quality junkies that think that news communities should be quality controlled this means that the common Joe can not join or join in as his or her grammar of rantings are not good enough to pass the administrations quality check. Joe to my mind should have a place in social communities and should not be gagged and if she or he is then a community’s spirit is lost.

What I would like to see is, a non profit organization run by citizen journalist and not run as a business opportunity nor as an instrument totally geared to perfection. Where as every article penned by any of its members, is considered to be journalistic and not considered as non newsworthy. Yes of course news gathering and debate as well and of cause fair rules of common decency and respect.  Unfortunately this dream of mine will never happen and eventually all successful news communities on the Internet will be owned by politically motivated main stream media.  These organizations will dominate and shape the news communities the way they want them to be. Some members of communities will move on, some will lose interest and many will not care. Citizen journalism is being pushed out of the window for cheap free lance journalism and news gathering and is geared to attract advertising.

Some of us have had to adapt and meet half way with the owners of news community sites after finding that there is no perfect platform to publish articles on. Real Citizen Journalism will still smolder a long, riding on the back of news gathering and cheap freelance journalism.