Citizen Journalism or a Public Conversation?

Is a citizen journalist the real deal or a mere representation of opinion and gossip?

Journalism and the reporting of news and events is one of the world's oldest professions and that it should remain. Employment in the media requires study at tertiary level and often work experience or internships to step a foot into the competitive industry. The new tirade of blogs, online journals and social networking web sites serve their own function in the realm of commentary and social conversation but do not require degrees, experience or an employer backing your journalism. As a student journalist in her final semester of study, herein lies the difference for me between professional journalist and a citizen journalist. 

Citizen journalism has an effective way of setting the news agenda for media and news outlets and I think this is an important role for audiences of the news. David McKnight, author of the article 'Public Journalism' states that the media have a new responsibility of listening to the public and the news they are engaging with, ignoring and participating in. McKnight says that the media's perception of news audiences are outdated and no longer include "customers to be wooed or audiences to be entertained" but instead modern audiences instill "a public capable of action".

However citizen journalism needs to be kept at arms length in order to differentiate between news and citizen opinion. One of the undeniable problems I find with blogs and social networking sites is its rush for expediency and ignorance of truth, privacy and consequence. An important reference point for journalists working in the Australian media industry is the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) Code of Ethics. The Media Alliance Code of Ethics states that the news be reported with integrity, honesty, fairness and the hallmarks of respect and professional reporting. If bloggers and social networking sites are to be considered professional journalism they need to adhere to or provide a set of governed rules that can regulate their content before publishing goes ahead.