Moore, Marc. "The Travails of Citizen Journalism. PoliGazette. 19 April 2009

This blog haphazardly covers a number of issues surrounding blogging. The writer, Marc Moore, discusses his laborous efforts in covering the Houston Tea Party, held 4/19/09. He goes into detail what he recorded and how he recorded it, describing his phone and digital camera models. Moore endured the difficult task of managing his various devices, digital camera, "multimedia-capable phone", and a pen and pad. He describes maneuvering all of his "equipment" to capture still images, video and notes of the event, not to mention his communication with editor while covering the event. Moore decides to give credit where it is due. He applauds those who have been able to successfully accomplish citizen-field journalism and attesting to the advantages that "professionals" possess in their equipment and support teams. Towards the end of his post though, Moore says that he worries the "integrity" the public associates with professional journalists may be lost in citizen journalism but then counters his point by denouncing CNN and MSNBC's "shameful" coverage.

How appropriate to sight a blog article while discussing the role and validity of blogging in the newsworld. I believe this blog serves as a perfect introduction to many of the issues I'd like to address in my paper. The popularity, through readership and quantity, of citizen journalism/news blogs is undeniable. Moore account of the "tools" he possessed to enable him the role of "field journalist" even if only for this event speaks volumes to how technology is making this form of communication easier. I'd like to use his account as a introduction to discussing the how and why of citizen journalism. Part of the how is through answered with technology, which Moore makes perfect example of through his description of phone and camera. The layman's ability to create quality products (video, image, and audio) through use of their cell phones and digital cameras is absolutley key to citizen journalism, although skill is still required to be a good citizen journalist. Moore makes example of this in opening the blog by expressing his "new respect for field journalism when practiced well." Although Moore credits the professionals to having a "one up" with their equipment, his very blog entry (which links to his coverage amongst other things) accounts for the citizen's ablity to do the same job.

As for the why of citizen journalism, Moore complaint of a trusted and professional network's coverage, is a true testament to the sentiments of many citizens (not just in the USA) about formerly trusted network. Moore addresses the heat CNN's Susan Roesgen took for biased reporting. So although he admits that professionals are perhaps technologically more capable of news reporting, he also lends opinion to why the citizen journalist was created; our former trusted news sources created the amateur journalist and gave rise to blogging.

Drezner, Daniel W. & Farrell, Henry. "Web of Influence". Foreign Policy 145 (2004): 32-40

Drenzel and Henry focus on the power of the blog medium for citizen journalism. Blogs are increasingly acting as catalysts for the mainstream media content. As many other articles have cited, the blog world's attention to Trent Lott's racist commentary is what forced the mainstream media to take notice and provide coverage. Blogging has become so popular now that even mainstream media sources are employing professional bloggers which may be a bit oxymoronic. Drezner and Farrell express concern over these professional mainstream bloggers overpowering the independent bloggers, suggesting that blogging is something that should belong to the people, not the professional.  Blogging is positioned as an adjunct to transnational networking, allowing foreign news to spread fast and far. With the decrease in international press coverage (especially in the USA), blogs written by foreigners help keep the international community connected.

In some cases, bloggers even have an advantage in matters of international coverage. Drezner and Farrell give North Korea as an example, saying that journalists are not allowed entry and when permitted entry are watched closely. A citizen of NK (although blog sites have been censored) or even a non North Korean's ability to enter and comment on the conditions of the state is essential in international news coverage, especially coverage of a state that does not allow foreign press. Countries like Iran, North Korea and China exercise web censorship to prevent their citizens from accessing foreign blogs or creating their own blogs but there are always ways around these things. The point being that established and familiar news sources are easily blocked but blogging and the internet itself creates a useful alternative.

What i think is most interesting is that Drezner and Farrell position blogs as a watchdog for mainstream media, in opposition to omission of information or misinformation. In addition to being an independent news source, blogs are really presented as a part of the whole field of journalism, participating in a sort of checks and balances. If this is a major role that blogs are expected to occupy, the move of traditional media sources into the blogosphere, potentially displacing independent bloggers, would elimininate those checks and balances which could have dangerous repercussions.

The purpose of this project is to analyze the recent phenomenon of citizen journalism. The internet has created a new platform for the creation and distribution of information. The layman or amateur is now able to perform professional functions through news websites, blogs, photo sharing sites, etc. Newsworthy material is no longer guarded by a select few people who the general public must depend on to remain informed. With this new power that the layman has yielded comes responsibility though... or does it? Should the layman be held accountable by the same standards as a traditional journalist, if they are in fact performing the same function? Furthermore, is it really possible for an amateur to perform the same function as a professional? This is to say much of what makes a professional is based on the technology they have access to, a journalist is not simply a journalist simply because he writes or even because he has studied journalism but because he is a part of a recognized industry. Other issues surrounding the move of traditional print news sources move to the internet are to be discussed. What threat do citizen journalists pose to traditional papers' websites? Can anyone really compete with the Washington Post or the New York Times? Perhaps most importantly the question of why citizen journalism became so popular will be addressed. I hypothesize that technology has a great deal to do with it. People create blogs and offer their opinion to the digitally connected world simply because they are now able to. High quality camera phones and digital cameras allow us to interact in a way and with an immediacy that was never possible before, so why not indulge. But, beyond egotistical motivations I think cross media market monopolies must be held accountable. The homogenization of news material, amongst other things, has forced the "amateur" to take news gathering into his own hands. With the help of the FCC and deregulation, media conglomerates are now able to own mostly all of the venues of information for entire markets. Television stations, radio stations (i.e. Clear Channel) and newspapers are all owned by the same company in some markets, which begs the question what is being fed to the public? If we depend on these limited resources to inform an ever growing populace, everything from what the local weather will be like to how we will vote for the future of our country, then a lack of diverse opinions threatens democracy. I this very homogenization is part of the reason that the citizen has taken things into his own hands to become an autonomous news source.