Citizen Journalism Vs Mainstream Journalism

 MALAYSIA: “Two patients with covid-19 were suspected of fleeing from Penang Government Hospital”, my close friend informed me through WhatsApp this morning. I am in dilemma; I doubt whether I should trust the message because it is not from the official news sources. However, this is not uncommon. During the pandemic, we may receive a large number of messages from unknown sources. This raises question of how to distinguish citizen journalism from mainstream journalism?

Typically, mainstream journalism is defined as the process of producing news while adhering to ethical standards and professional conduct. This process offers crucial information to the public to make informed decision, which is part and parcel of practicing democracy in the country. On the other hand, citizen journalism involves news gathering, disseminating, and analysing news and information by the public, especially by means of the Internet. 

Rise of Citizen Journalism & Its Problems

Technological advancement has transformed the world. It has also altered how people obtain information. The news phase has changed to a free and rapid realm. Everybody can write, post and share information in the blink of the eye. Furthermore, modern media allows for two-way communication, as opposed to the traditional paradigm, which was mostly one-way. Nevertheless, new media serves only as a minor contributor to the rise of citizen journalism. The key factor for this is the decline of trust in media.  Malaysian citizens are aware of the country’s press freedom; as majority of the Malaysian news organisation are directly or indirectly affiliated to the government. People have lost faith in the government and media, on the other hand, has had huge impact as media is often perceived as the government’s propaganda weapon. This situation has contributed to the growth of citizen journalism.

Information is now freely available to everybody thanks to the new media and citizen journalism. Some journalists view this as a positive scenario because there are some areas that mainstream journalists are unable to access. However, one shouldn’t ignore the absent of professional trainings in citizen journalists and that they might not aware of some ethical and moral issues.

 

                                               

                                                                Caption: Edmund Ngo, former journalist from The Star

Edmund Ngo Chun Hou, a journalist with six years’ experiences, raises worry about the lack of professional trainings in citizen journalists. He expressed that, “everybody can have a camera, everybody can have an audio recorder, and everybody can go out and ask questions in areas that they can access, with sometime professional journalists may not be able to access. But I noticed that they frequently lack training. Trainings on how to conduct interviews, trainings to ensure that their reporting is ethical, that they are not biased, and that they present and verify information before presenting it to the public”.

He explained that mainstream journalists are often provided with constant and relevant trainings in order to enhance their news writing and reporting skills, while also expanding their networks. More importantly, the news organization supplied him with a lot of legal assistance and protection. Citizen journalists, on the other hand, lack financial and legal supports.

Edmund Ngo also brought up the problem of credibility of information. He pertinently pointed out that knowledge and information is now democratized. We now have access to information that is frequently censored and controlled thanks to new media. However, there comes a point where false information overwhelms the reader, leaving them unsure of which sources of information that can trust.

The issue is that people would rather prefer the easiest and most convenient way of accessing information, such as through WhatsApp or Facebook, instead of fact-checking from official news sources, which might be time consuming. Meanwhile, individuals with certain personal agendas may take advantage of the situation to deceive the general public in order to further their own personal goals. 

Nonetheless, he suggests that mainstream journalists and citizen journalists may collaborate to better serve the public. It would also assist in curbing misinformation and improve news quality in this way.

 “To combat fake news, we need to get citizen journalism to help out as well. The more people who understand media, the more who are media literate, the more people who can be good, credible citizen journalists, the better we will be able to combat fake news”, he stated.

                                                                      

                                                              Experienced Journalist and Programme Producer from RTM

Hiew Thiam Choi, an experienced journalist and programme producer had similar thoughts. In the field of journalism, it is critical to showcase professionalism. Journalists are supposed to report without being swayed by their own emotions. They are expected to take full responsibility for the news reported. Citizen journalism, on the other hand, may not have complete knowledge in this area.

“We might disagree with what that person said, but we still deliver the message accordingly without prejudice or bias. Citizen journalists do not carry much of “responsibility”. They are not required to follow ethical or law when reporting the so-called news”, he said.

News credibility and freedom of information is difficult to reach a balance point. News credibility decline with increasing information freedom. The attitude of the readers, and whether they believe fact-checking is necessary, is of more significance.

He also stated at the end of the interview that false information burdens mainstream journalists because they work hard to serve as a surveillance of the environment for the public, meanwhile false information can divert public attention or lead the public to the wrong direction, as well as spread hatred among people towards certain issues.  

It is not right to blame citizen journalists for the rise of misinformation or fake news; rather it is more to the side effects of the Internet. To summarise, the reader’s attitude is crucial in this manner. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the information shared is truthful and accurate. 

Collaboration between mainstream and citizen journalists might also aid in the better practice of democracy. It is just like this MOJO programme, which aims to educate ordinary people to experience the real journalism. Mentor with extensive experience in journalism prepared and assisted us to become a better citizen journalist.

Citizen Journalism, Mainstream Journalism#MOJOkitabySM #SuaraMasyarakat #CommunityVoices #BeAnActiveInternetUser

Disclaimer: This MOJO content was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, Internews, or SOLS 247 or NGOhub.