“I want to be a citizen journalist. What training and experience will I acquire to be a citizen journalist?”-is this what you’re thinking of? Well, you will be dancing with joy if you know that you won’t require any professional training or experience to be a citizen journalist!
Through citizen journalism, everyone can be a part of giving voice to the voiceless marginalized people who are not given proper opportunities to express their opinions in various spheres. In this modern era, the proliferation of citizen journalists is globally acknowledged and highly propelling in enlightening our society. Anyone can do citizen journalism via social media campaigns, blogs, and traditional media outlets, sharing eyewitness experiences, filming live events, and many other ways.
Even if citizen journalists lack the skills that any professional journalist may possess, they partake in uplifting the current state of their country while trying to resolve any ongoing crisis. Some noteworthy movements like Black LIVES matter, The Arab Spring, Me Too Movement have been profoundly ignited by citizen journalism. The recent “Quota movement in Bangladesh” is another prominent example of citizen journalism when the mainstream media were not covering up the true pictures.
Citizen journalism bolsters the light of justice in a society that aligns with the long-term goal of making a fair society. Some of the following positive impacts citizen journalism can spread on the society:
Raising Awareness among People
Raising awareness is the utmost responsibility of every citizen. As a citizen journalist, you can make people aware of speaking up against any crime, oppression, or wrongdoing prevailing in society. No one can feel or narrate any sorrows and sufferings like an eyewitness. It is a fact that even the mainstream media sometimes can’t make people aware of certain things the way citizen journalists do. Suppose, you are very much worried about the food quality of your local restaurants. You even have captured photos and videos of the unhygienic environment of the kitchens of those restaurants. To make people aware of this reality, you as a citizen journalist can post all the evidence on your social media account and make people aware of the detrimental effect of taking unhygienic foods. So, you are playing multiple roles in this case- an eyewitness, a reporter, and a conscious citizen!
Holding Higher Authorities Responsible
Truth always finds its way out to reach wherever it should be! In most cases, citizen journalists are way ahead of professional journalists in terms of unfolding the reality of society. Sometimes powerful bigwigs of our society influence professional journalists by threatening them in many ways! “My job will be at stake if I broadcast this news anyhow”-this fear seizes them! But citizen journalists can take the dare of showcasing all the wrongdoings or injustices of the powerful authorities, holding them responsible for their misdeeds! This is how the general public also gets to see the monstrous faces of the bigwigs!
Transparency in the News
Transparent news is what we’re lacking nowadays! Every news in front of us is full of layers, making the authenticity and reliability of the news in question. Sometimes mainstream media intentionally try to avoid reporting some crucial part of any incident, thinking that it will go against the benefit of their channel. Even in talk shows, we can notice that some news channels are so biased towards one party that they don’t hesitate to hide the filth reality of that party and It is the most saddening part of today’s world. By disseminating unfiltered news, Citizen journalists can play a tremendous role in maintaining the utmost transparency of the news in most cases, enlightening our society.
Solving Any Ongoing Crisis
Citizen journalists can be an inevitable force in taking the initiative to solve any ongoing problems that are making people suffer severely. Sometimes many crucial stories and sufferings go unreported or unnoticed by professional journalists and you as a citizen journalist can come forward to address those unnoticed problems and sufferings of people.
Democratization of the News
By prioritizing the opinions of audiences, especially marginalized people, citizen journalists democratize the news properly. Let’s say, the reckless driving of a bus driver took the lives of two passers-by and you were at the spot when this accident took place. Now, You are getting furious about what you’ve witnessed. Being an eyewitness, you can make a video of interviewing other eyewitnesses and posting that video on social media platforms. So, you are also playing the role of any citizen journalist.
However, Spreading misleading information, limited reach, and biases can be some of the key challenges of citizen journalism. Though citizen journalism is not free from challenges, it has to be accepted that this world needs more and more fearless citizen journalists to make a positive impact on society. In the end, someone has to be daring enough to unfold the reality even from the deepest ocean to enlighten society!
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Writer,
Taspia Taher Faiza
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE