EOTO 2 Citizen Journalism
Citizen journalism is a term and concept that is becoming increasingly relevant over time. Now that everyone has a smartphone attached to them at all times, anybody can whip out a camera and get footage of an event guerrilla style in a surprisingly high quality. More people than ever use various social media platforms and can upload their journalistic endeavors to a wide audience. Even if they don't have a prior presence, a video can still catch fire and go viral, spreading across every corner of the internet. Citizen journalism is in fact characterized by it's inexpert nature. 
Citizen Journalism at its core takes a reader of the news, and turns them into an active participant. This raw variant to a typical journalist creates a more personal experience for everyone involved. You receive a more personable take from someone who isn't appealing to a higher up or company executive, and you often get footage that is basically ground zero of the event in real time. Someone's personal experiences of an event offer a different testimony of an event and deepen its impact. The website substack.com allows you to to subscribe to receive content from professional independent journalists offering a different take. You can curate your subscriptions to your interests, and many of the journalists here make a sizable sum of money. You get a different storytelling perspective and find angles you don't see covered my mainstream outlets. It's almost analogous to compare it to mainstream music going viral on TikTok versus indie musicians with a dedicated cult following.
All journalists, professional or random citizens with an iPhone, are protected under the same set of rules, but are also regulated under the same rules. If you are deemed to be interfering, anyone is subject to being arrested and detained. Anything you collect or post is subject to consequences, and these will vary depending on who it effects and where you are. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, a CNN film crew was detained live on the air by police. Even mainstream outlet reporters are not immune. Being a citizen journalist runs the risk of receiving some of the highest journalistic honors: assassination, government threats, and jailtime. Without the protection of prior restraint, there are some journalists intimidated or threatened to not publish anything that could harm the reputation of authority, particularly in dictatorships.
Citizen Journalism at its core takes a reader of the news, and turns them into an active participant. This raw variant to a typical journalist creates a more personal experience for everyone involved. You receive a more personable take from someone who isn't appealing to a higher up or company executive, and you often get footage that is basically ground zero of the event in real time. Someone's personal experiences of an event offer a different testimony of an event and deepen its impact. The website substack.com allows you to to subscribe to receive content from professional independent journalists offering a different take. You can curate your subscriptions to your interests, and many of the journalists here make a sizable sum of money. You get a different storytelling perspective and find angles you don't see covered my mainstream outlets. It's almost analogous to compare it to mainstream music going viral on TikTok versus indie musicians with a dedicated cult following.
The more prevalent usage of citizen journalism is its ability to hold authority accountable. Nothing can be swept under the rug and labeled as 'natural or accidental' when there is video proof. A video showing what actually happened can help bring the guilty party to justice. That does not mean this act of collecting and sharing important information is completely safe. Obviously, there are going to be people and governments that do not want information to come to light, especially not like this.
All journalists, professional or random citizens with an iPhone, are protected under the same set of rules, but are also regulated under the same rules. If you are deemed to be interfering, anyone is subject to being arrested and detained. Anything you collect or post is subject to consequences, and these will vary depending on who it effects and where you are. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, a CNN film crew was detained live on the air by police. Even mainstream outlet reporters are not immune. Being a citizen journalist runs the risk of receiving some of the highest journalistic honors: assassination, government threats, and jailtime. Without the protection of prior restraint, there are some journalists intimidated or threatened to not publish anything that could harm the reputation of authority, particularly in dictatorships.
There has never been a better time to be a citizen journalist then now. Between the amount of issues this world pumps out daily and the convenience our portable computers provide, anybody can film an incredible moment. Various levels of independent coverage are more accessible then they ever have been.
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