July 22, 2005
Is There Hope for Citizen Reporting?
Another round of bombings in London, another round of citizen journalism. ... But Vincent Maher, a new-media lecturer at the Rhodes University School of Journalism & Media Studies in South Africa, says the citizen reporting seems lacking. He's been busy today compiling a list of links to blogs about today's attacks, and is on the look-out for good examples of citizen journalism in action.
"I was forced to conclude that, while waiting and watching what the bloggers were up to, I saw precious little actual citizen journalism," Maher wrote in an e-mail to me earlier today. "All I saw was a bunch of armchair critics and, frankly, bland repetition. I was hoping to find, easily, some pics taken by people from their phones and posted as close to live as possible."
In his blog, Maher -- like me an optimist about the promise of grassroots media -- writes: "What this says to me, despite my enthusiasm for citizen journalism and the we media, is that we have a long way to go."
It could start with getting paid, of course, but I think the real problem is that it is simply too easy to sit and wait for someone else to write it up and then provide commentary. Journalists are expected to get up and physically go there, take a photo, do something, and get back to post the story. … Bloggers seem to get away with armchair journalism and it's getting worse and worse."
[via E-Media Tidbits]
Picture left, submitted by a citizen reporter to the BBC
See also a Round up on Articles and Opinion Pieces on London Bombings.
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