How do citizen journalists using the social media affect the activities of traditional media production and houses and how are and have the media houses strategised to meet this changing trend in mass media work.

In attempting this question, it is imperative that we discuss certain terminologies relative to the assignment and within the context of the assignment. That said, now the question, what is citizen journalism?

According to Wikipedia, citizen journalism is based upon public citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating of news and information. Similarly, Courtney C. Radsch defines citizen journalism as an alternative and activist form of news gathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions. Citizen journalist promotes human right and democratic values as a result of the elements in which they operate, such as, open publishing that is audience publishing freely on the various websites and social networks using their mobile phones to publish news items of their choice. Citizen journalists are not trained journalists, however, with easy access to the internet, it has become less a challenge for citizen journalists to collect, write and disseminate news and information.

 Traditional media also known as ‘old media’ or ‘legacy media refers to the means of communication and expression that have existed before the advent of a new medium of the internet; industries that are generally considered part of this are broadcast and cable television, radio, movies and music studies, newspaper magazines, books and most print publications. Traditional journalist activities are known worldwide and are protected by legal professional laws, code and ethics.

Additionally, citizen journalists have even had it easier with the introduction of social media.  Social media is a countless array of internet based tools and platforms that increase and enhances the sharing of information. Initially, the internet was for a selected few; however the internet can now be used by many since modern cellular phone comes with the ability to access the internet; even more, the ability to be connected using social media. This is so because social media has made it easy among internet users to transfer and share text, photographs, audio, video and also chat. Having said that, it is important that I add that social media has come to be extremely relevant to the work of a citizen journalist.

In contemporary times, the citizen journalist does not need all those sophisticated cameras and materials. This is so because everything he needs is in the modern phone; because of this, everyone has the means to report about what goes on around them. The most basic phone has a camera and as such has become so simple to port images, video and text to social media sites. As a result, platforms like linked-in, facebook and twitter have created online communities where people can share as much or as little personal information as they may desire with other members of the online community. The result is a large amount of information that can be easily shared, promoted, disputed and created. Social bookmarking tools and news sites such as reddit, dig, delicious and other sites make finding specific information, images and websites increasingly simple by assigning individual sites or ‘tagging’ them with searchable keywords.

According to Chris measures, “controlling how news is reported and disseminated is extricable linked to power. That’s why dictatorships have always censored or removed the free press and run television stations with a rod of iron. Fortunately, most countries have moved away from situation especially with the adoption of democracy, hence the media has also been liberalized. This means that with the media liberalization, citizen journalism has become a central part of the opening up of reporting to everyone. As a result, citizen journalist - ordinary people doing the job of reporters can be seen everywhere.

The question is do they have a place in the practice of journalism? And the answer is a big yes. I will explain with another question: How does citizen journalist, using social media affect the activities of traditional media productions? Citizen journalists have become extremely important to the media fraternity.

According to Chris measures “particularly in straightened times, journalist can’t be everywhere at once and often arrive after  news event has actually happened” he says “in many cases such as the Arab spring, journalist can be banned or censored by regimes and individuals that do not want stories to be reported. So citizen journalist with camera phones can be our first source of first-hand information. Much of this then feeds into our traditional media with television news and national newspapers running stories based on reports filled by citizen journalists”

Additionally, since contemporary time can be characterized by frequent out breaks of war – civil and international, the world of a citizen journalist comes to bare. This is even more so when it has to do with the security of their journalist of the media house. It comes down to the use of citizen journalist who may even be victims at war and other occurrences.

Consequently, media houses today have come up with a repertoire et strategies in order to engage citizen journalist that might have information they may need. A classic example of such strategies includes the use of social media. Social media has become a platform where news and information can be transferred and shared. Media houses today are all linked to one social media or the other. These social media includes twitter, facebook, whatsapp and many more.

This has increased the number of citizen journalist globally and also because it has become increasingly easier to be a citizen journalist.

Moreover, media house nowadays have come up with phone numbers that people can call to report any news worthy event or activity. As a result, people call in to report news worthy phenomena - this means that they get firsthand information before the reporter is sent to the scene. This event or activity could be an accident, armed robbery, theft or even a killing. Furthermore, media houses today have come up with email addresses that could receive messages and news items. This is all done to enable access to citizen journalist with information.

On the face of the above, it is rather too clear that professional journalism has come to terms with citizen journalism. Professional journalism has to some extent, if not completely, accepted that citizen journalism is a complement and that it has to come to stay.

                                                            Referencing

·         Bailey Socha and Barbara Eber-Schmid                     newmedia.org

·         Communication Theory/Network Society                  wikibook.org

·         Social Media Defined                                                 socialmediadefined.org

·         Chris Measures                                                            The Rise of Citizen Journalism, 2013

·         Amanda Cohen                                                         amandacohen1228.wordpress.com,                                                                                        2011

·         Media Musing                                                             mediamusigs.com.rmit.edu.au , 2011

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