Power to the People The rise and rise of Citizen Journalism

Power to the People And rise of Citizen Journalists

Ashyr Saparov

The advent of the Internet, new technologies, social platforms and grass-roots media has heralded a significant shift in collecting, disseminating and sharing information. Citizen journalism can be considered as the offspring of this evolution - an alternative form of news gathering and reporting, taking place outside of the traditional media structures and which can involve anyone. We live in the age of image consumption and data absorption.
The birth of citizen journalism is often attributed to South Korea where the first platform of amateur generated information, OhMyNews, was created. The principle was simple; anyone can take part in the process of creating information - as the notion of participatory journalism (another term for citizen journalism) implies. From reader to participant, citizens have now changed their status as a mere recipients of information, to providers. It is not necessarily something new, however.
When Abraham Zapruder took his amateur film-camera and decided to go and record John F. Kennedy’s rally in Dallas, he inadvertently captured images of his assassination, which could be considered a proto-form of citizen journalism - as what really defines it is its inexpert nature. Zapruder supplied his film to the Secret Service to assist in their investigation. Whilst is was not the only film of the event, it was the most complete.
Beginning in 2010, the Arab Spring displayed a new level of citizen engagement in reporting news, gathering live front-line footage and imagery, the monitoring of mainsteam media (over which there are often strict controls) and government authorities. Following the results of presidential elections in 2009, The Iranian Green Movement presented a new face of Iran to the world. 
Marinovich notes: “Social media is a huge problem. I mean, the public is more and more open to conspiracy theories. So-called voices of authority, for better or for worse, have been broken as the only sources of information.
“If you look at the latest news, the South African President is saying one thing, his acting defence minister is saying a completely contradictory thing, and nothing comes of it. Both statements just sit there. So, you can choose what your truth is. That’s insane.”
Marinovich touches on a central issue with eyewitness material – the potential for fake or manipulated news.