6 of 6

Write now Article Tools

Citizen Journalism is interactive and participatory. It has been called democracy at work. While the tenets of Citizen Journalism are embedded in traditional journalism, there is a set of bedrock principles that stand apart as a non-negotiable requirement of the craft.

The bedrock principles are: accuracy, thoroughness, fairness, transparency, and independence. Together, these foundational elements form the ethical basis of good Citizen Journalism.

According to the report, We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information, Citizen Journalists are non-professional writers who are, "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information."

A proponent of Citizen Journalism and professor at New York University, Jay Rosen, defines contributors to Citizen Journalism as "the people formerly know as the audience."

In a project for Knight Citizen News Network, The Center for Citizen Media, has proposed a guiding set of principals that accompany good traditional journalism. If you are committed to participating in Citizen Journalism these principles need to become part of your plan.

Accuracy

Good journalism separates fact from fiction. If you're writing on the Web, let your readers contribute to the conversation - say what you know, and say what you don't know. If you get something wrong correct it right away. Check and recheck your facts.

Here's how to ensure accuracy:

* Gather information in reliable ways
* Don't rely on secondary sources, rumor, or hearsay
* Use primary sources and corroborate what you find
* Fully grasp what people are saying and keep quotes in full context
* Spell names and locations correctly
* Link to specifically useful URLs
* Take responsibility for your mistakes

Thoroughness

Thoroughne ss is getting it right - completely right. It's the difference between speculation and being dead on correct with the whole story. Start by assessing the situation. Create an inventory of people and places involved in the event. Answer the basic five: Who, What, When, Where, Why. Gather facts and check their reliability. Conduct personal interviews.

Three basics of thoroughness are:

* Learn as much as you can about the topic
* Invite readers to contribute to the research
* Update breaking news as you learn more

Fairness

Fairness emerges from our state of mind. Slanting facts cheats your reader. Good Citizen Journalism allows others to respond. When presenting opposing points of view, good citizen journalists will listen to those who disagree with them. An awareness of what drives us, and a willingness to learn from those who disagree with us, can help avoid bias in our writing.

Here are a few tips to help ensure your fairness.

* Understand that communities are multi-dimensional. Capture a mosaic of viewpoints, problems, and solutions
* Look beyond conflicts. Explore underlying issues and perspectives
* Avoid falsely creating sides where they don't exist
* Be sure your coverage moves beyond old labels and stereotypes

Transparency

Reveal your motives. Disclose, disclose, disclose. Be aware of what you take for granted, link to source material as much as possible, and be honest about your background or financial interests in the topic.

The question, or course, is how much of your life needs to be an open book. How revealing you want to be is a question that only you can answer, but honest transparency requires a revelation of pertinent information.

Independence

Indepe ndence means following a story where it leads - regardless of your relationships to companies or governments.

Here are some guiding principles for journalistic independence.

* Honor the stewardship of an open society
* Keep the public interest as your priority
* Stay free of associations that compromise your integrity
* Avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest
* Disclose unavoidable conflicts
* Refuse gifts or favors that compromise your journalistic integrity
* Hold those with power accountable

Resources

As a Citizen Journalist, you will need to understand and apply the fundamental principles of the craft. Here's a list of resources to get you started.

Center for Citizen Media

Institute for Interactive Journalism

Poynter Online

Learn more about this author, Tim O'Connor.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about How to write as a citizen journalist?
We want to hear your view. Write now!