Citizen Journalists

For many years one of the most consistent criticisms of electronic media has revolved around its centralization. Only a few corporations serve as gate keepers in information that is gathered, edited and then shared with the general public. The result, critics have claimed, is that much of the news presented to the so-called masses is limited in scope and shaped to support and/or promote the conglomerates that own the networks. Much of these critiques remain valid. The fact that fewer people are using the main networks as their primary sources of information and news speaks to the growing dissatisfaction among the public with the job television news shows are doing.

Due in large measure to social media, one conglomeration of people throughout the world leading this exodus from the networks are citizen journalists. These non-professional men and women are taking advantage of  social media and using it to share or communicate news and information in ways that are often faster than what the networks do. Granted, what they report via such outlets as twitter, Facebook and you tube may not always be as sophisticated or polished as the networks, but more and more we are witnessing examples of their power and reach. One only has to look at the Arab Spring that began in 2011 in the Middle East and North Africa to see the power of these amateurs.

Citizen journalists are not part of any well-financed machine. Rather, they are individuals whose primary affiliation seems to be with concept of sharing information with others. They are decentralizing the reporting of news while representing an emplowerment of the individual in ways none of us have seen in a very long time - if ever. In a classic example of "if you can't beat 'em, then join 'em," the networks have even started encouraging citizen journalists to share information and visual elements they compile. Such a trend is a healthy one for any society wishing to be or remain open and free.