AuthorsDen.com   Join | Login    
Where Authors and Readers come together!

SIGNED BOOKS    AUTHORS    BOOKS    SAMPLE CHAPTERS    AUDIOBOOKS    eBOOKS    STORIES    ARTICLES    POETRY    BLOGS    NEWS    VIDEOS    SUCCESS    TESTIMONIALS

Featured Authors:  Leanne Bright Cloudman, iDiane Hundertmark, iDonald Beaulieu, iEva Pasco, iTracey Morait, iR.E.E.S Blogs Linda Smith, Publisher, iLloydene Hill, iFrances Altman, iJohn DeDakis, iShirley Woods, i

  Home > Blogs Popular: Books, Stories, Articles, Poetry      Authors: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z     

Erik Hare

 Follow Me  

· Contact Me
· Success story
· Books
· Articles
· Poetry
· News
· Stories
· Blog
· 21 Titles
· 28 Reviews
· Share with Friends!
·
Member Since: Mar, 2007

Erik Hare, click here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.


 
Blogs by Erik Hare

Citizen Journalism
7/21/2008 7:53:01 PM



Citizen Journalism is a hot topic, and for a good reason. If the internet is going to live up to its promise of connecting people, the methods and tools for reporting on our lives have to be distributed to the people. That’s Jay Rosen of NYU’s definition of Citizen Journalism, although you can hear him say it for himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcYSmRZuep4

How new and exciting is this? In many ways, it’s very old. Newspapers are called things like “Daily Mail” and “Post” because many of them devoted gobs of space to people who sent in stories from their own perspectives. Before there were professional reporters there were plenty of people who had something to share with the world along with newspapers with plenty of space to fill.

I’ve been accused of being an opponent of Citizen Journalism, and I want to put that to rest now. In fact, I’ve committed acts of CJ myself, writing for several local papers and a few online ones. I even tried for a half-time gig at one online outlet, but that didn’t work out.

I criticize CJ for one very important reason: it’s that important to me. I want it to be good enough to dominate how we receive our news and how we look at the world. I want people to be forced to learn the skills necessary to digest hundreds of independent sources and perspectives and make up their minds for themselves. How do we get there?

I think there are three very important things that CJ needs to work on right now to make it successful. This is the people based stuff that I find is often overlooked:

Ditch the Leftist Politics – Too much of what I see being called Citizen Journalism has a political agenda which is thinly disguised. There’s nothing wrong with stating one’s opinion, and I don’t think the traditional ethic of “objectivity” is all that meaningful. But CJ is interwoven with leftist politics to many people, especially in the traditional press, and that got to cause a backlash at some point. If we can’t get the lefties to tone it down, can we at least encourage more conservatives to take part?

Quality Still Counts – It sounds elitist to talk about quality, and this is where I normally get myself into trouble. But damnitall, accuracy is important, even if people will just have to get used to a slightly less rigorous definition of it. Most important of all, however, is that good writing is still good writing. Thoughts need to be organized and writers need to Talk, not Bark:

http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewblog.asp?authorid=55121&blogid=34559

You Are Not an Authority – Many CJ sites have a newspaper kind of layout with a masthead and stories and so on. If CJ is going to be something really new it has to be based on interaction between people, and this air of authority isn’t helping that one bit. To be Citizen Journalism you have to be a Citizen first, just like everyone else who visits the webpage. You aren’t any more cool than the people who read your stuff, enjoy it and, at times, rip it to shreds - but you can grind your teeth at them if it helps.

Those are the three big mistakes that I see being made on a routine basis. More to the point, the things I hear from conferences such as Netroots Nation tell me that these issues aren’t really discussed all that much, except possibly the “air of authority” problem. That’s too bad. This, like just about any other social change, is all about people. The ability to get it up and running and work really well depends on the psychology and philosophy of ordinary people.

In a democracy, we’re all citizens. We have to keep the Citizen first in Citizen Journalism if it’s really gonna take off - and that is a good goal to have.


Comments (4)

More Blogs by Erik Hare
• Let the Real Games Begin - Sunday, August 24, 2008
• Soul Mate - Friday, August 22, 2008
• Breaking the Code - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
• The Investment Express - Sunday, August 17, 2008
• The Verse of a Song - Friday, August 15, 2008
• Generic Politics - Tuesday, August 12, 2008
• Reductio ad Extremis - Sunday, August 10, 2008
• I'll Have it Bronzed - Thursday, August 7, 2008
• Lotsa Vacation - Tuesday, August 5, 2008
• Generations: Re-Invention - Sunday, August 3, 2008
• Happy as a Pig. Just a Pig. - Friday, August 1, 2008
• The D Word - Tuesday, July 29, 2008
• Writing Bubble - Monday, July 28, 2008
• Munchie - Friday, July 25, 2008
• Ode an die Freude - Wednesday, July 23, 2008
•  Citizen Journalism - Monday, July 21, 2008  

• Truth of the Cottonwoods - Monday, July 21, 2008
• Barking at the 'Net - Saturday, July 19, 2008
• Brasilian Way - Thursday, July 17, 2008
• Leadership - Tuesday, July 15, 2008
• No Safe Harbor - Sunday, July 13, 2008
• Open Yer Mouth - Thursday, July 10, 2008
• 15 Second Politics - Tuesday, July 8, 2008
• Nice Work if You Can Get It - Sunday, July 6, 2008
• Fly the Flag - Thursday, July 3, 2008
• Housing Bubble, Toil and Trouble - Tuesday, July 1, 2008
• Depressing Events - Monday, June 30, 2008
• Ein Kunstlerleben - Friday, June 27, 2008
• IRV - Wednesday, June 25, 2008
• Convention Wisdom - Monday, June 23, 2008
• 500 Year Floodplain - Thursday, June 19, 2008
• Desaparecidos - Tuesday, June 17, 2008
• Write on! - Monday, June 16, 2008
• Techno High School - Friday, June 13, 2008
• Urban Return - Wednesday, June 11, 2008
• Strategic Planning - Monday, June 9, 2008
• The Team - Thursday, June 5, 2008
• The Obvious - Tuesday, June 3, 2008
• Hung T-Bar Ceiling - Monday, June 2, 2008
• Brightest Bulbs - Thursday, May 29, 2008
• Regional - Wednesday, May 28, 2008
• Vaca - Accion - Monday, May 26, 2008
• Narrowing - Thursday, May 22, 2008
• Scale - Tuesday, May 20, 2008
• Invisible Hand on the Pump - Monday, May 19, 2008
• Ancient Music - Friday, May 16, 2008
• Electric Motion - Wednesday, May 14, 2008
• Comments? - Monday, May 12, 2008
• In the Translation - Monday, May 12, 2008
• Still Over - Very Over - Friday, May 9, 2008
• Hear the Quiet - Tuesday, May 6, 2008
• Enlightenment and Excess Sugar - Tuesday, May 6, 2008
• Cola Warriors - Monday, May 5, 2008
• Urban Core: Life - Friday, May 2, 2008
• Fantasy and Perspective - Tuesday, April 29, 2008
• Net-Work'd - Tuesday, April 29, 2008
• Urban Core: New Urbanism - Monday, April 28, 2008
• Urban Core: Lessons - Friday, April 25, 2008
• Urban Core - Wednesday, April 23, 2008
• But Fear Itself - Tuesday, April 22, 2008
• You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania - Monday, April 21, 2008
• Cultural Catholic - Friday, April 18, 2008
• Taxing - Wednesday, April 16, 2008
• Light & Fluffy - Tuesday, April 15, 2008
• Work - Monday, April 14, 2008
• Human Barometer - Thursday, April 10, 2008
• Bad Girls - Tuesday, April 8, 2008
• A Good Meal on a Dreary Day - Tuesday, April 8, 2008
• One Year On - Sunday, April 6, 2008
• Not at Any Price - Friday, April 4, 2008
• Winning Through Acting Crazy - Wednesday, April 2, 2008
• More Press(ure) - Tuesday, April 1, 2008
• Message = Medium - Sunday, March 30, 2008
• Anything is Possible - Thursday, March 27, 2008
• Fit, Print, Whatever - Tuesday, March 25, 2008
• Ars Gratia Fructis - Monday, March 24, 2008
• Yes, Not Again - Sunday, March 23, 2008
• Generations: Empire - Thursday, March 20, 2008
• Generations: Do the Right Thing - Tuesday, March 18, 2008
• Brief Commercial Message - Monday, March 17, 2008
• Generations: Institutionalized - Sunday, March 16, 2008
• Generations - Thursday, March 13, 2008
• St. Patrick's Day - Tuesday, March 11, 2008
• Blinding Daylight - Monday, March 10, 2008
• It's Still Over - Sunday, March 9, 2008
• Pedestrian View - Thursday, March 6, 2008
• Straight Up Racist - Tuesday, March 4, 2008
• Stamp Them When They're Small - Monday, March 3, 2008
• Schooled - Sunday, March 2, 2008
• Free at Last - Friday, February 29, 2008
• Theo-Rhetorical - Tuesday, February 26, 2008
• Moral or Political? - Monday, February 25, 2008
• Flik Lit - Sunday, February 24, 2008
• Fit to Print ... and more! - Thursday, February 21, 2008
• Letter to Sen. Clinton - Tuesday, February 19, 2008
• Leading and Learning - Monday, February 18, 2008
• Dr. Carver - Sunday, February 17, 2008
• Primary Reader - Thursday, February 14, 2008
• Ordem e Progresso - Tuesday, February 12, 2008
• Class and Struggles - Monday, February 11, 2008
• Why Do We Write? - Sunday, February 10, 2008
• Streaming - Thursday, February 7, 2008
• Still About People - Wednesday, February 6, 2008
• A Fun Evening Ahead? - Tuesday, February 5, 2008
• Sick of It? Nah! - Monday, February 4, 2008
• Britney - Sunday, February 3, 2008
• Soooper Tooosday! - Friday, February 1, 2008
• Crazy Train - Tuesday, January 29, 2008
• Sacred and Profane - Monday, January 28, 2008
• Making Stuff - Monday, January 28, 2008
• Bill's World - Thursday, January 24, 2008
• Panic! - Wednesday, January 23, 2008
• Airballs and Airbending - Tuesday, January 22, 2008
• Cold - Sunday, January 20, 2008
• Spencer House - Friday, January 18, 2008
• Avatar - Wednesday, January 16, 2008
• Politics, Hopes, and Dreams - Tuesday, January 15, 2008
• Feast or Famine II: The Wrath of John (Zogby) - Monday, January 14, 2008
• Feast or Famine - Sunday, January 13, 2008
• For Madmen Only - Thursday, January 10, 2008
• Paul - Tuesday, January 8, 2008
• Horseraces and Horse Sense - Monday, January 7, 2008
• A New Start? - Monday, January 7, 2008
• Handicapping - Sunday, January 6, 2008
• Happy Talk - Friday, January 4, 2008
• Cold and Warm - Wednesday, January 2, 2008
• Happy, um, New Year - Monday, December 31, 2007
• Riot - Monday, December 31, 2007
• Bestsellers! - Thursday, December 27, 2007
• Why Do They Read? - Wednesday, December 26, 2007
• Christmas Morning - Tuesday, December 25, 2007
• S. Claus, C-14 - Monday, December 24, 2007
• Darkness and Light - Friday, December 21, 2007
• Memoir - Wednesday, December 19, 2007
• Eyes of a Child - Tuesday, December 18, 2007
• Solstice - Monday, December 17, 2007
• Glory and Promise - Thursday, December 13, 2007
• Desperate Cry for Attention - Wednesday, December 12, 2007
• Compound Interests - Monday, December 10, 2007
• The Game - Monday, December 10, 2007
• Got" Nuthin - Friday, December 7, 2007
• Snow Day - Tuesday, December 4, 2007
• Real Way, Way Real - Tuesday, December 4, 2007
• Snowstorm - Sunday, December 2, 2007
• Progress - Friday, November 30, 2007
• Tao Te Ching - Tuesday, November 27, 2007
• As You Like It - Monday, November 26, 2007
• Saint Paul - Sunday, November 25, 2007
• Travel - Friday, November 23, 2007
• Awareness - Wednesday, November 21, 2007
• Two Places Together - Tuesday, November 20, 2007
• Thanksgiving - Monday, November 19, 2007
• Mechanical PR - Friday, November 16, 2007
• Heavy and Light - Wednesday, November 14, 2007
• Rollin' and Scratchin' - Monday, November 12, 2007
• Lay Yer Dollar Down - Sunday, November 11, 2007
• Smarts - Friday, November 9, 2007
• Local - Wednesday, November 7, 2007
• Elections - Tuesday, November 6, 2007
• Platforms - Sunday, November 4, 2007
• Gutenburgistas - Thursday, November 1, 2007
• Shadows - Wednesday, October 31, 2007
• Saleable - Tuesday, October 30, 2007
• Tea - Monday, October 29, 2007
• Crispin, be Remembered - Thursday, October 25, 2007
• Faking It - Wednesday, October 24, 2007
• Post Dispatch - Tuesday, October 23, 2007
• Job Blob - Sunday, October 21, 2007
• MEA Weekend - Friday, October 19, 2007
• Mousketeer - Friday, October 19, 2007
• A Novel Solution - Wednesday, October 17, 2007
• Sunspots - Monday, October 15, 2007
• Ghosts - Sunday, October 14, 2007
• Voyages - Thursday, October 11, 2007
• Obsolete Houses - Tuesday, October 9, 2007
• Watching - Tuesday, October 9, 2007
• Distributed - Sunday, October 7, 2007
• Bright Light - Friday, October 5, 2007
• Soy Protein - Wednesday, October 3, 2007
• Making a Point - Monday, October 1, 2007
• Grace or Redemption - Sunday, September 30, 2007
• Widgets - Thursday, September 27, 2007
• Expectations - Wednesday, September 26, 2007
• My Point is? - Tuesday, September 25, 2007
• Access - Monday, September 24, 2007
• Housewife - Thursday, September 20, 2007
• Equinox - Wednesday, September 19, 2007
• Writing Back - Tuesday, September 18, 2007
• Street Life - Monday, September 17, 2007
• Cartoon - Friday, September 14, 2007
• The Greenback War - Wednesday, September 12, 2007
• A Fair Cop - Tuesday, September 11, 2007
• Small World - Monday, September 10, 2007
• Fairness - Thursday, September 6, 2007
• School Daze - Tuesday, September 4, 2007
• Publishing, Redux - Monday, September 3, 2007
• Labor Day - Sunday, September 2, 2007
• Ethnicity - Thursday, August 30, 2007
• Who Ya Know - Tuesday, August 28, 2007
• Repo Voting - Monday, August 27, 2007
• Sun - Friday, August 24, 2007
• Starving Artists - Tuesday, August 21, 2007
• Juanita Bartlett - Monday, August 20, 2007
• Stock Marks, not Market - Friday, August 17, 2007
• Novel Writing - Wednesday, August 15, 2007
• Stupid Money - Monday, August 13, 2007
• Crappy Cars - Friday, August 10, 2007
• snafu - Wednesday, August 8, 2007
• J.S. Bach - Monday, August 6, 2007
• I-35W Bridge - Friday, August 3, 2007
• Heat - Wednesday, August 1, 2007
• Illegal - Monday, July 30, 2007
• Prof. Powers - Thursday, July 26, 2007
• Harry Potter - Wednesday, July 25, 2007
• Cat President - Sunday, July 22, 2007
• MCS - Thursday, July 19, 2007
• Politics and People - Wednesday, July 18, 2007
• Authorial Omnipotence - Monday, July 16, 2007
• Conveyance - Thursday, July 12, 2007
• Univision - Wednesday, July 11, 2007
• Tropopause - Monday, July 9, 2007
• Big Ideas - Thursday, July 5, 2007
• Star Spangled Banner - Tuesday, July 3, 2007
• North America - Sunday, July 1, 2007
• ex Machina - Thursday, June 28, 2007
• Catalpa - Tuesday, June 26, 2007
• Blogosphere - Sunday, June 24, 2007
• Queuing - Thursday, June 21, 2007
• Make No Small Plans" - Tuesday, June 19, 2007
• Telling Stories - Monday, June 18, 2007
• Community - Thursday, June 14, 2007
• Minor Leagues - Tuesday, June 12, 2007
• For the Kids - Monday, June 11, 2007
• Wurst Writing - Thursday, June 7, 2007
• Progressive - Tuesday, June 5, 2007
• Credentials - Monday, June 4, 2007
• Band Concert - Thursday, May 31, 2007
• Institution - Wednesday, May 30, 2007
• Publiosity - Tuesday, May 29, 2007
• Honor and Sense - Monday, May 28, 2007
• King O'er the Water - Thursday, May 24, 2007
• Everything Counts - Wednesday, May 23, 2007
• Numbers Game - Monday, May 21, 2007
• Elected Attorney General - Friday, May 18, 2007
• Car Free - Thursday, May 17, 2007
• Cold Front - Tuesday, May 15, 2007
• Fortune Telling - Sunday, May 13, 2007
• Distant Voices - Friday, May 11, 2007
• Value - Wednesday, May 9, 2007
• Disposable Buildings - Monday, May 7, 2007
• Energy Alternatives - Friday, May 4, 2007
• Statuary - Thursday, May 3, 2007
• Voice - Tuesday, May 1, 2007
• McNews - Monday, April 30, 2007
• The Jebediah Effect - Thursday, April 26, 2007
• Public Realm - Wednesday, April 25, 2007
• Four Leaves - Tuesday, April 24, 2007
• Media Outlets - Monday, April 23, 2007
• A New Line of Thought - Saturday, April 21, 2007
• Pattern Taxonomy - Friday, April 20, 2007
• Politics, Interest, and Democracy - Thursday, April 19, 2007
• Making Sense - Tuesday, April 17, 2007
• Naked Emperor - Monday, April 16, 2007
• Barking in the Night - Saturday, April 14, 2007
• Kurt Vonnegut - Thursday, April 12, 2007
• All the News That Fits, Prints - Wednesday, April 11, 2007
• It was a dark and stormy night ... - Tuesday, April 10, 2007