Comments on: Citizen journalists will bring the what, while professionals bring the why http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/ Random musings from a technologist Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: jakeberglund http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5913 jakeberglund Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:18:52 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5913 "Citizens can handle the what, while professional journalists can handle the why..." and the media source paying the professional journalist handles the spin. “Citizens can handle the what, while professional journalists can handle the why…” and the media source paying the professional journalist handles the spin.

]]> By: Cidadãos dão o ‘quê’ e jornalistas vão dar o ‘porquê‘ « http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5880 Cidadãos dão o ‘quê’ e jornalistas vão dar o ‘porquê‘ « Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:13:04 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5880 [...] 5:12 PM' por Luis Santos Parece-me uma boa frase, esta, de Patrick Thornton - os milhões e milhões de cidadãos e as suas plataformas de [...] [...] 5:12 PM’ por Luis Santos Parece-me uma boa frase, esta, de Patrick Thornton – os milhões e milhões de cidadãos e as suas plataformas de [...]

]]> By: Corey Schubert http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5879 Corey Schubert Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:42:43 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5879 My main concern with citizen journalism is the ability for the public to fabricate news that could quickly spread and be misinterpreted as fact. By the time a professional journalist followed up with a factual story that clarified things, plenty of damage already could be done. A citizen journalist can easily create a fake image using Photoshop and publish it online, causing all kinds of panic. Even a few words on Twitter could cause mass confusion. Imagine if someone Twittered a message that the president just passed away, or that a nuclear explosion just devastated part of the country. That said, there certainly is also a real benefit to the input from citizen journalists. In an age when so many Americans have cell phones that can take photos and video, the chances are much greater that any major news incident will be recorded and reported in some way. My main concern with citizen journalism is the ability for the public to fabricate news that could quickly spread and be misinterpreted as fact.

By the time a professional journalist followed up with a factual story that clarified things, plenty of damage already could be done.

A citizen journalist can easily create a fake image using Photoshop and publish it online, causing all kinds of panic. Even a few words on Twitter could cause mass confusion. Imagine if someone Twittered a message that the president just passed away, or that a nuclear explosion just devastated part of the country.

That said, there certainly is also a real benefit to the input from citizen journalists.
In an age when so many Americans have cell phones that can take photos and video, the chances are much greater that any major news incident will be recorded and reported in some way.

]]> By: Links for today | Links para hoje « O Lago | The Lake http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5868 Links for today | Links para hoje « O Lago | The Lake Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:37:30 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5868 [...] Citizen journalists will bring the what, while professionals bring the why, Pat Thornton [...] [...] Citizen journalists will bring the what, while professionals bring the why, Pat Thornton [...]

]]> By: John Zhu http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5863 John Zhu Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:15:02 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5863 I agree with Jason's comment about the difference between how much citizen reporting you get for huge news events vs. the run-of-the-mill daily news. While the cases of citizen journalism we've seen for the major events are a good "highlight reel" for citizen journalism, journalism doesn't just come to play when big events break and goes to bed the rest of the time. Given that difference, it would be difficult for professional news orgs to cut back significantly on their coverage of breaking news on the assumption that there will be enough coverage from citizen journalists. It's one of those cases where if there is, then great, but if there isn't, then who gets the blame for being asleep on the job, the citizen journalists or the professional journalists? The latter, of course. One other point: The "citizen journalists will bring the what, and professional journalists will bring the why" idea overlooks the fact that usually you can't get at the why without thoroughly understanding the what. In fact, it's impossible to cover the why without covering the what. Say there's a 14-car pileup. How can a reporter give analysis and explanation for WHY it happened without first getting the facts about WHAT happened? Yes, use citizen journalism to help with the coverage of the what, but you can't really spend significantly less time covering the what because that's the first step to covering the why. I agree with Jason’s comment about the difference between how much citizen reporting you get for huge news events vs. the run-of-the-mill daily news. While the cases of citizen journalism we’ve seen for the major events are a good “highlight reel” for citizen journalism, journalism doesn’t just come to play when big events break and goes to bed the rest of the time. Given that difference, it would be difficult for professional news orgs to cut back significantly on their coverage of breaking news on the assumption that there will be enough coverage from citizen journalists. It’s one of those cases where if there is, then great, but if there isn’t, then who gets the blame for being asleep on the job, the citizen journalists or the professional journalists? The latter, of course.

One other point: The “citizen journalists will bring the what, and professional journalists will bring the why” idea overlooks the fact that usually you can’t get at the why without thoroughly understanding the what. In fact, it’s impossible to cover the why without covering the what. Say there’s a 14-car pileup. How can a reporter give analysis and explanation for WHY it happened without first getting the facts about WHAT happened? Yes, use citizen journalism to help with the coverage of the what, but you can’t really spend significantly less time covering the what because that’s the first step to covering the why.

]]> By: Harold Shaw http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5862 Harold Shaw Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:29:45 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5862 My question on citizen journalism has to do with Capitalism, If a paid journalist takes information originally started by a citizen journalist and then gets paid for it, who pays the citizen journalist for their efforts? Should they get paid or simply be an information source. If the "news" uses a citizen journalist Twitpic what happens? I love citizen journalism, but if the news journalist jump and take it over it seems kind of shall we say "unfair" especially if there is no credit given where credit is due. Sooner or later that will become a huge "copyright" issue for the Courts to decide. I would like to see your premise be true, "It’s not us versus them. It’s we." but many journalist see it the other way around. :) Until then long live citizen journalist - keep what is actually happening out there coming, it gives more than just one view of what is happening in the world beyond FOX, CNN, and all the other media outlets who have their slant that they give to the news for better or worse. My question on citizen journalism has to do with Capitalism, If a paid journalist takes information originally started by a citizen journalist and then gets paid for it, who pays the citizen journalist for their efforts? Should they get paid or simply be an information source.

If the “news” uses a citizen journalist Twitpic what happens?

I love citizen journalism, but if the news journalist jump and take it over it seems kind of shall we say “unfair” especially if there is no credit given where credit is due. Sooner or later that will become a huge “copyright” issue for the Courts to decide.

I would like to see your premise be true, “It’s not us versus them. It’s we.” but many journalist see it the other way around. :)

Until then long live citizen journalist – keep what is actually happening out there coming, it gives more than just one view of what is happening in the world beyond FOX, CNN, and all the other media outlets who have their slant that they give to the news for better or worse.

]]> By: Jason Finch http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/2009/02/08/citizen-journalists-will-bring-the-what-while-professionals-bring-the-why/comment-page-1/#comment-5861 Jason Finch Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:08:10 +0000 http://patthorntonfiles.com/blog/?p=1121#comment-5861 Citizen journalism will always be great for the big stories, the ones that affect thousands of people or are of major interest worldwide... the BBC recently received the most texts, videos and photos ever sent by viewers for just one story; it was the snow that brought much of England to a standstill. Tens of thousands of local reports from all parts of the country; even with the BBC's mass of journalists it could never have hoped to get so much from so many places. But for the other stories, particularly the type you mention but also small local interest stories, it's always going to need pro-active journalism and I think some of the most interesting stories can be the interesting little local stories about real people that would otherwise get no coverage at all... I'm not sure citizen journalism would ever bring them to mass attention. Social media's great for spreading big news fast - even big news that professional journalists may have put together but for which they've been unable to find a major outlet for whatever reason. Social media's a great one for "levelling the playing field". Citizen journalism will always be great for the big stories, the ones that affect thousands of people or are of major interest worldwide… the BBC recently received the most texts, videos and photos ever sent by viewers for just one story; it was the snow that brought much of England to a standstill. Tens of thousands of local reports from all parts of the country; even with the BBC’s mass of journalists it could never have hoped to get so much from so many places.

But for the other stories, particularly the type you mention but also small local interest stories, it’s always going to need pro-active journalism and I think some of the most interesting stories can be the interesting little local stories about real people that would otherwise get no coverage at all… I’m not sure citizen journalism would ever bring them to mass attention.

Social media’s great for spreading big news fast – even big news that professional journalists may have put together but for which they’ve been unable to find a major outlet for whatever reason. Social media’s a great one for “levelling the playing field”.

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