Citizen Journalism

Definition - What does Citizen Journalism mean?

Citizen journalism refers to the reporting of news events by members of the public using the Internet to spread the information. Citizen journalism can be a simple reporting of facts and news that is largely ignored by large media companies. It is easily spread through personal websites, blogs, microblogs, social media and so on. Some types of citizen journalism also act as a check on the reporting of larger news outlets by providing alternative analysis.

Citizen journalism is referred to by many other names, including:

Collaborative citizen journalism (CCJ)
Personal publishing
Grassroots media
Networked journalism
Open source journalism
Citizen media
Participatory journalism
Hyperlocal journalism
Distributed journalism
Stand-alone journalism
Bottom-up journalism
Nonmedia journalism
Indymedia
Guerrilla journalism

There is some nuance to these usages, but all revolve around online publishing and the distribution of information by members of the public.

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Techopedia explains Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism refers to all forms of public reporting carried out online. This includes everything from blogs covering a local Little League tournament to the online posts of citizens in countries where the national media is government controlled. When an event is too small for larger media to take notice or the media cannot report the facts without censorship, citizen journalism may be the only source of information on what is actually occurring behind the media blackout.

Some citizen journalists have gained so much popularity for their reporting and commentary that they can reach a much wider audience than traditional news outlets.