You might approach a police officer, ambulance worker, or fire officer and ask for details about an incident. The following list of citizen journalism websites illustrates some of the efforts underway to develop new forms of inclusive, participatory journalism. Numbers, data, statistics, history, geography and time are all valuable elements for adding context. Let’s keep it simple and start with the first two. Many citizens are the first to report on breaking stories, with eye-witness videos, first-hand accounts, and real-time information, all using social media. Before you set off, spend some time thinking through what you might … Do they realise it will be shared on social media and, hopefully, go global? Write down what you think the top line might be. Have you included some images that disturbed you when filming them? Take lots of wild track – if nothing else, it will come in useful if you need to edit sound effects under some of your shots when you are putting the piece together. Register to receive personalised research and resources by email, A Q-study of types of citizen journalists, College of Information and Communications, University of South Carolina, USA, Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management, Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), Georgia, /doi/full/10.1080/21670811.2015.1053506?needAccess=true, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health.
They might like to watch the fruit being picked and the jam being made. Citizens collect, report, analyze, and disseminate news and information, just as professional journalists would, creating what is known as user-generated content. The factor analysis revealed three types of citizen journalists: The Nonchalant, Self-fulfillment Seeker; The Watchdog’s Watchdog; and the Passionate Pro-hopeful. Far better to think these things through now, before you get to the scene, than kick yourself later for missing them. The youths are demanding money from drivers. Could you be accused of favouring one side in the story? As a result, they might refuse to talk to you. You might feel passionate about an issue, but you must always rise above what you think in order to present the reality of the situation as it is. You may not need that consent if you are carrying out random interviews in the street – sometimes called vox pops – but you should seek it if you are talking one-to-one with someone who could be described as being vulnerable and who may not understand the consequences of what they are saying. You may have to add text to your video to introduce the person. Identify those you want to interview, talk to them, win their trust, explain who you are and how the material will be used – including how you plan to share the story on social media. Have you treated people equally? They are interesting stories, they are local, they might have been missed by mainstream media, and people might be interested in viewing them.

These amateur journalists produce news in many forms, ranging from a podcast editorial to a report about a city council meeting on a blog, and is usually digital in nature. Does it matter? A coach crashes. How often? This next step is where you need to consider context. Since the general public has 24/7 access to technology, citizens are often the first on-scene for breaking news, getting these stories out more quickly than traditional media reporters. Share it on social media. How will your piece start? Media Helping Media uses cookies to improve your experience. By closing this message, you are consenting to our use of cookies. These are the short clips of detail that you might want to use to emphasis a point, cover an edit, or simply break up a longer shot. © Content on Media Helping Media is released under Creative Commons, Media Helping Media (MHM) is built on WordPress. If you have time, research the background to the story.