The whole idea of being a citizen journalist is!

by Babel-Fish | February 3, 2009 at 09:07 pm

495 views | 24 Recommendations | 8 comments

The whole idea of being a citizen journalist is should not be orientated to making money. It is however to be ready to publish stories on your door step that simple get missed by the media or before they get to the scene of the news. Making money out of reporting is defiantly called freelance journalism or professional journalism.

Also citizen journalism is about writing interesting stores about life or the problems of life these articles could be related to religion, politics, science, academics or in fact any subject under the sun that the writer feels would be interesting to certain audiences on the internet.

It’s not seeding article and not strictly geared to world news events that is the job of the professional journalist and those that try to make money out of citizen journalism are really trying to be free lance journalists.

Over the past few years or so I have seen administrators from this new revolution of web based news social communities lose track on what citizen journalism is about. These communities originally aimed at citizen journalism and centers for debate have found that news gathering is more attractive to the average Joe that wants to have a say about what’s going on in the world. That’s fine but when like on one or two social news web services try to pin another name to citizen journalism because they the site providers do not fully understand even what citizen journalism is about. Then other bright sparks think that a real citizen journalist, want to be paid for his or her services. If they did that, they could not call themselves citizen journalist as they become an employed entity when paid and that is called free lance journalism.

I wish administrators of news community would come to grips with the title of Citizen Journalist. If they offer money incentives, then what they are really selling is Free Lance Journalism. My answers to them is no thanks, but please send the money to a charity.

Unfortunately most of the services I publish my articles on, want to pay the members or there is a donation button as an incentive. But of course that's because they have had a misconception what citizen journalism is and most of their members also have no clue what its all about many are seeking compensation on some services even for just seeding news. The main idea of community sites for the administration is to make money from the advertising.

As I have started to run my own community site I am fully aware about the value of advertisement to make the project viable but mine aim is charity related to world poverty.

My thought and words are for the world and I really do not want copyright be a door stopper against spreading my ideas and useful wise-ness learned by the experience of a lifetime and hard knocks.

Hopefully now people that use the communities where I have published this article will now understand what the title Citizen Journalist means and also realize the title carries a responsibility of non bias non profit reporting and writing those that actually take on this responsibility as citizen journalist should be proud to be so and proud of the title.

I have ammended this article and that was due to a missunderstanding concerning a nowpublic personal email, that in fact inspired this article. The originator sensibly informed me that I had mistaken the intents of the email and it was not a spam attempt at members of nowpublic. I am sure that the latter is right I have therefore taken out the mention of the website concerned and wish them the best in their endevours to run a successful community.

6 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend Sign In or Join to post comments

Babel-Fish

at 22:41 on February 3rd, 2009

I go crazy when people think citizen journalism is geared to making money. No sorry thats called freelance journalism. Copyright is public domain as one does not make an attempted to make any money as a truly dedicated person that can be honestly call a citizen journalist.

If people have struggled with the meaning of citizen journalism and why citizens like me are proud of that title even many of the administrators and those that become moderators seemingly have no clue about citizen journalism what so ever. . The times I have seen a moderator on a new site state I am not sure your article is newsworthy. I see what the administration think is newsworthy and sigh. Any thing that is interesting to any set group of the public, educational interesting, open to debate is newsworthy, it does not have to be current affairs but interesting is the main factor and that someone wants to read the article, see the pictures or watch and hear the music or simply find interest in a new subject a new interest.

But no one can call themselves a citizen journalist if they expect to get paid for it or they think that their copyright is worth money. We citizen journalist are amongst the news gatherers and the budding freelance journalist and are proud to be just what we are Citizen Journalists and our articles are news our news our thoughts our achievements our submissions to make this site interesting and offset some of the boredom and the depression of bad news.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 23:13 on February 3rd, 2009

Evidently, Jin K (not verified) is making the rounds. Would an Editor please remove this comment. Thanks!

Babel-Fish

at 23:45 on February 3rd, 2009

Rhonda I am confused perhaps that due to my coffee based stupor, lol but who is Jin K? lol

Uwe Paschen

at 23:51 on February 3rd, 2009

It was a Spam comment on your post, gone now, Yet Rhonda her comment is still there.

Babel-Fish

at 00:30 on February 4th, 2009

Oh thanks and thank you Rhonda for reporting the spammer, the haze of the coffee has now been eroded.

tim_demotix

at 01:59 on February 4th, 2009

mrandyheath

at 07:39 on February 4th, 2009

Very interesting article Babel-Fish. I agree that there is an interesting distinction between citizen-journalism and freelance-journalism, and that the growth of free-to-view and unpaid open-source, creative-commons style citizen-journalism is a fantastic development for free speech. I believe that this can and should coexist with viable and professional journalism, to allow those who choose to to make a living from their reporting.

Babel-Fish

at 08:15 on February 4th, 2009

I believe the distinction has been there since the new revolution of web based communities and of course the blogs. But investors in this new website incentive even those with a journalist background have not noticed the difference between freelance and citizen in fact it as also been muddled with news seeding with an opinion and debating news.

It show that even the moderators here and else where have no real understanding that interesting stories or stories even about hobbies or a classic seen in the last few days is a guy published his future lecture on communication. He withdrew the article because he read the comment "I can not see that your article is newsworthy". To me someone who is very interested in the history of communication it was good and contained subject that was new to me.

In my opinion it was citizen journalism and worthy a read. The best part it was the great efforts of a Filipino of whom had master English beautifully and showing the best in academic achievement in a impoverished third world country where I now live.