by Theresa Ann White

Created on: December 26, 2010   Last Updated: December 31, 2010

The idea of the citizen journalist emerged with the Internet and became an accepted term around 2005. It is defined as a type of participatory journalism, the on-the-street, as-it-happens reporting that is typified in micro blogging sites like Twitter and the more expansive CNN iReports.

The idea of the individual making news outside the confines of a news reporting organization is what propels the citizen journalist. These people may be former or current journalists; they may be college educated in journalism; they may be interested citizens; or they may be people who are part of an emerging news story. This last role is exemplified by the

Iranian citizens who reported on the post-election brutality following the June 2008 presidential election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Some citizen journalists maintain blogs. Many use Twitter as the Internet vehicle for spreading their information.  And, there are a growing number of global blogs and websites created specifically to file reports by citizen journalists. GlobalVoices.org is one such macro blog, presenting blog submissions from all over the world in a variety of languages.

Bloggers are not automatically defined as “citizen journalists.” There are a number of specific reasons for this, most related to the purpose and intention of the blogger and the time aspect of the report.

Take a look at the Blog Directory of Technorati for a glimpse of the assortment of blog subjects. At this date, there are 1,249,943 blogs registered with this site, divided into nine major categories. Some percentage of these million-plus bloggers may consider that they are citizen journalists. But the majority is writing their personalized view on subjects as varied as women’s shoes, parrot training and philosophical ponderings about the impact of new gadgets.

Citizen journalists are marked by a unique purpose: to report the news as it is happening. They attempt to do this with accuracy and objectivity – both signs of responsible journalism.  On the other hand, bloggers who write about the news, after it has occurred, and from a personalized or subjective viewpoint cannot be considered citizen journalists.

Intention is another crucial part of defining a citizen journalist. There is rarely a material or commercial goal involved in these reports. The intention is to present news to a world that may not otherwise have access to it. Blogs often exist to promote the write or a product and exist for material gain or notoriety.

Timeliness is third essential element connected with the reports of citizen journalists. As has been mentioned previously, these individuals are often caught up in the news and simultaneously reporting the news. Bloggers who rewrite the news are separated from it by days and sometimes weeks, and don’t fulfill that on-the-spot aspect of citizen journalism.

Purpose, Intention, Timeliness – these three traits are what separate citizen journalism from the blogosphere. 

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