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latitude in the venues that are used to publish the works of the citizen journalist. As most Internet activities allow for varying degrees of anonymity the temptation is to allow the sites that publish the works of the citizen journalist the same latitude exists.

In the UCLA study, venues such as the Drudge Report were included in the review of bias in the media. Some of the results were more counterintuitive than many expected. National Public Radio (NPR) was not the most liberal of media outlets and sites such as the Drudge Report leaned more centrist than conservative. A citizen journalist must be as careful when selecting the medium used to publish their prose as they are when scrutinizing the content of their work.

The standards that should be used for examination of a media venue are: examination of whether the medium has a stated and purported agenda; a careful review of content on the medium to see if bias is clearly and evidently reflected; examination of the medium as to whether it represents editorial content as news; and who finances the medium and what that organization supports.

The Internet allows the citizen journalist a venue for an ongoing conversation of contemporary news stories that touch the lives of their readers to a significant degree. This does not diminish the need for careful self examination of the inherent bias that is often represented. Adherence to fairness and objectivity of coverage is a key factor in the development of citizen journalism in the new media.

American journalism, in particular, has a very long history of detachment and strives for independence from bias. Inevitably, bias can seep into the works of any journalist - it is the voracity with which we attempt to temper our inherent biases that will determine the quality of our work and the long term viability of the independent citizen journalist as a significant contributor to the national conversation.

Learn more about this author, Thompson Kellett.
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