Citizen Journalism

With newspapers going out of business and print journalism perhaps becoming a thing of the past, on-line "citizen journalists" will do an adequate job of replacing professional print reporters.  What do you think?

Comments

[Whitney Everhart]

I do not believe that citizen journalist will do an adequate job as professional reporters for several reasons. For one thing, Barbra Walters didn't become a reporter over night and If the US thinks we have objectivity and media bias problems now, just wait until we use the general public as our news source.

[Kaitlyn blakey]

I agree with Whitney. If citizens become responsible for informing all of us, it will be nothing but even greater "partisan hackery" to use John Stewart's terminology. People will try to advance their own agendas and causes and objectivity will take a backseat to the facts. Of course we all have the RIGHT to be "citizen journalists" if we so choose, but that does not mean professionals should be eliminated.

[Elisabeth Gonzales]

I also agree with Whitney. We will lose all focus, objectivity, and general content if we rely solely on citizen journalists for new sources. With no one is control, we would soon be reading and viewing things that are either completely irrevelant or inappropriate. Though we have the right to become journalists and we have the right to record events it does not mean that we have the ability to correctly inform the public of such events.

[Alyssa Pariselli]

I agree with all the previously mentioned comments. Citizen journalists may neglect the main focus on an issue or a recent event. Like Elisabeth said we do have the ability to become journalists there is a need for certain experiences in journalism.

[Aiken Hamilton]

As everyone else does, I agree with Whitney. There's a difference between news and gossip. Journalists know how to present current events objectively, with unbiased accounts. Anyone can take a blurry picture with a cell phone and fabricate a story about it.

[Katie Morgan]

While I agree with all the others, i also think that every good reporter started out as a citizen journalist. They should not be our main source of news, but if we continue to relay on older reporters, one day we wont have any.