New Communication Technology Essay

 Question 6 - Mobile Devices

This essay will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the use of all mobile devices to gather and report information to the online news media, both by professional journalists and "citizen journalists", and how it might impact on journalistic practices, news values and ethics. It is a fact that today front news stories can come from both citizen and professional journalists pocket sized digital devices such as an iPhone, with the simple accessory of a phone and a camera in one. This can be seen on Cable News Networks (CNN) website as they often present news stories sent in from either a citizen or a professional journalist. In this essay, I will first focus on the definition of a 'citizen journalists', secondly, I will outline the advantages and disadvantages of the use of all mobile devices for news gathering and thirdly I will find out how this might impact on journalistic practices and news values and ethics. 

"Citizen journalist" is a citizen who is not a professional journalist, has no degree or journalistic background, but uses modern technology to report to the online news media. A reason why citizen journalists report is not because that they were sent out to cover a story, but to share what they have seen, heard or experienced with others.  According to Shayne Bowman “most citizens don’t want to be journalists but do want to contribute in small and meaningful ways” (Bowman, 2005).  

Big Media is losing its monopoly on the news, thanks to the Internet - that 'citizen journalists' of all stripes, in their independent, unfiltered reports, are transforming the news from a lecture to a conversation. (Gillmor, 2006)

The first advantage and disadvantage, which I will discuss, is; the availability of news and current streaming of news as it is happening. Being either a citizen journalist or a professional journalist, mobile devices allow both in communicating with anyone at anytime. This provides both journalists the luxury of reporting news as soon as it happens or while it is happening, which also provides the public constant updates on various news stories. In most instances, when using mobile devices for news gathering and reporting, it is common to use for example a digital video camera, mobile phone with a camera or a pocket sized portable computer. All of these devices aid a journalist to gather news fast and makes it easier for both journalists to report back to the office.

Mobile communication technology equipped with still and video cameras in the hands of the public has given rise to a new level of audio/visual coverage of newsworthy events. Recent examples of the impact of mobile media as a news recording device include the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami, the 2005 London transport bombings, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the execution of Saddam Hussein in late 2006, and the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007. In all cases professional news coverage initially drew heavily on the resources gathered via mobile phone by eyewitnesses to those events, and in some cases these still and moving images have become iconic representations of those news stories.(Cameron, D. no date)

On CNN’s ireport.com website, they include a warning of how none of the news you are about to read or see has been looked at or authorized by CNN, except the ones with a red CNN stamp on it. Therefore, the reader is already warned that not everything they are about to read, see or hear is necessarily true.

iReport is a user-generated section of CNN.com. The stories in this section are not edited, fast-checked or screened before they are posted. iReport stories that have a red ‘CNN iReport’ stamp in the corner have been vetted and cleared. (CNN website, n.d)

In regards to citizen journalists, they do make up for most of the news content provided during big events such as 9/11 in New York 2001 or the bombings in London in 2005, as they are either in the midst experiencing it or close by.

In fact, when big events happen, such as the July 7 2005 London bombings, much of the footage which the media outlets have is from citizen journalists because, by their very nature, they are first on the scene. Most media outlets, including the BBC, now ask for people to send in footage and photos of events or small write ups of anything they may have seen. (Citizen, no date)

When using a mobile device there is always a possibility the device will fail, as in a technical fail. For example the battery could die on your phone or the laptop, pocket digital devices shut down or freeze because of a virus, even as simple as a mobile without a signal. Without a way to report back the news that the 'citizen journalist' or professional journalist has gathered, their efforts are in vain. 

The second advantage and disadvantage, which I will discuss, is; the credibility of the news provided by ‘citizen journalists’ and professional journalists. News provided by a ‘citizen journalist’ can be hard to verify, as he or she has not followed the ethical rules a professional journalist follows. However, with mobile devices this is a positive thing, as the photos or footage taken from the device can verify the citizen journalist’s story and be directly distributed to the public, with no gatekeepers discarding the story. There is also concern in regards to writing, as a citizen journalist is not a professional writer or has experience with writing news articles, therefore the content might seem poorly written or hard to understand. Citizen journalists often write as they talk, which can affect their credibility negatively. 

This type of citizen journalism includes some comment as well – often far more outspoken than that which you would find on an open page in a newspaper. This can be good because there are fewer reservations but also bad because there is so much more room for them to offend and spout ill informed views. (Citizen, no date)

The third and last advantage and disadvantage, which I will discuss, is; new provided by multiple sources. When an event occurs or something is made news worthy, a professional journalist is often sent to cover the story, meanwhile a citizen might already be where the event is unfolding. There could even be 500 citizens where the event is unfolding. Therefore, there are multiple stories being sent to online newspapers and other online news media about the event, both done by a professional journalist and a ‘citizen journalist’. Multiple stories and sources, means more for the news editors to compare and justify. 

On the other hand, citizen reporters have adopted several mechanisms that help them make up for their comparably limited access. They are much more likely to pursue stories at their own initiative. They tend to predicate their stories on firsthand witnessing, technical sources (mainly Internet), personal acquaintances, and on their own experience. (Reich, 2008) 

This could potentially also harm the news story as 'citizen journalists' could put their own 'spin' on the story or most likely, write it from their point of view rather than being unbiased. There could also be the possibility of a professional journalist not being available to cover the event or story unfolding, and therefore the people in the newsroom only have the 'citizen journalists' news coverage to rely on. This is unfair to the public, as it has not been checked out with proper facts. 

There are several symptoms for citizen reporters' limited news access: their modest use of human sources; the high proportion of one-source items; their reluctance to interactively negotiate versions with sources; and their contacts with sources tend to be ad hoc exchanges, rather than long-term role relationships. (Reich, 2008) 

All these advantages and disadvantages will have an impact on journalistic practices and news values and ethics. The impact could be a positive or negative effect. The positive effects are the fast supply of news from various sources, as both the ‘citizen journalist’ and the professional journalist are sending their version of the new stories from their digital devices. Digital devices are a useful tool as they have the possibilities to capture photos, video tape or record voices all in one device, and send that information back to the office. This also provides ‘citizen journalists’ with the evidence to make their stories credible, in order for news editors to use their stories. The most positive effect would be when the ‘citizen journalist’ reports a news story, as it is most often a human interest story (one of the seven news values) which the public can relate to. 

For all its success, citizen journalism remains dependent to a significant extent on mainstream news organizations, whose output it debates, critiques, recombines, and debunks by harnessing large and distributed communities of users. At the same time, increasingly mainstream news is taking note of what the citizen journalists are saying, and uses content generated by users as an alternative to vox-pops, opinion polls, or in some cases indeed as a partial replacement of editorial work. (Deuze, Bruns, & Neuberger, 2007) 

The negative effects are amongst others ‘citizen journalists’ gathering news with digital devices and then putting their own spin on the news story, such as writing from a personal point of view. Other negative effects are; professional journalists being overtaken by ‘citizen journalists’ as they are many and everywhere. This could potentially put a dent on professional journalism as a career, because ‘citizen journalists’ do not write professionally or have the skills which are required when writing a news story, conducting an interview or gathering news. Also, ‘citizen journalists’ would not be required to follow the journalistic practices, news values and ethics as professional journalists must, because they are not professional which could harm the news story and credibility of it. Journalistic practices make up the framework of 'the code of ethics' for which professional journalists face when out gathering and reporting news. It is the framework professional journalists follow if they want to be perceived as credible journalists and have a good reputation. 

Otherwise, the journalists perform the entire news process, from story idea generation, news gathering, writing, editing, to publishing, exercising their professional news values at every stage. (Nip, Joyce Y. M. 2006)

Reference list

Scholarly sources;

Citizen, (no date). Citizenship Journalism. Retrieved October 15th, 2010, from Responsible Citizen: http://www.responsiblecitizen.co.uk/citizenship-journalism.html

Cameron, D. (no date). Mobile Journalism: A Snapshot Of Current Research and Practice. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from; http://theendofjournalism.wdfiles.com/local--files/davidcameron/David%20Cameron.pdf

Bowman, S. (2005) The Future Is Here, But Do News Media Companies See It. Nieman Reports [0028-9817] Bowman yr: 2005 vol:59 iss:4 pg:6. Retrieved October 15th, 2010, from; http://cooee.unilinc.edu.au:9003/griffith?sid=google&auinit=S&aulast=Bowman&atitle=The+Future+Is+Here,+But+Do+News+Media+Companies+See+It&title=Nieman+Reports&volume=59&issue=4&date=2005&spage=6&issn=0028-9817

Deuze, M., Bruns, A., & Neuberger, C. (2007). Preparing For An Age Of Participatory News. Journalism Practice , 322 - 338. Retrieved October 7th, 2010, from; http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a782164667&fulltext=713240928

Gillmor, D. (2006).. In D. Gillmor, We the Media Grassroot Journalism By The People, For The People (p. Page i). California: O'Reilly Media. Retrieved October 7th, 2010, from;
http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=5DMSVPEv86gC&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=We+the+Media+Grassroot+Journalism+By+The+People,+For+The+People&ots=zyqRxvdP-Y&sig=hmqcKaclsNjKg08fsXm9FZ08Ong#v=onepage&q&f=false

Nip, Joyce Y. M. (2006) 'EXPLORING THE SECOND PHASE OF PUBLIC JOURNALISM ', Journalism Studies, 7:2, 212 – 236. Retrieved October 8th, 2010, from; http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a743894916&fulltext=713240928

Reich, Z. (2008). How Citizens Create News Stories. Journalism Studies , 739-758. Retrieved October 19th, 2010, from; http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a794924538

Internet sites;

Digital Inspiration; Will Citizen Journalists Replace the Professional Journalist, 2007, viewed October 8th, 2010, from; http://www.labnol.org/internet/blogging/will-citizen-journalists-replace-the-professional-journalist/1611/

Miller, D. 2010. The Rise Of The Citizen Journalist. Viewed October 8th, 2010, from; http://www.actnow.com.au/Opinion/The_Rise_of_the_Citizen_Journalist.aspx

Cable News Network; iReport, 2010. Viewed October 7th 2010, from; http://ireport.cnn.com/

Wikipedia; Journalism Ethics and Standards. Viewed October 7th 2010, from; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards

Yahoo; What Is A Mobile Device, 2010. Viewed October 7th 2010, from; http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mobile/basics/basics-03.html

Ferenstein, G. 2010. 5 Essential Tools For The Mobile Journalist. Viewed October 12th, 2010, from; http://mashable.com/2010/02/01/mobile-journalist-tools/

Bibliography

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Johnston J., & Zawawi C., Public Relations, Theory and Practice 3rd Edition, p. 240-241.
http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=100542
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THE INTERNET, MOBILE PHONES AND BLOGGING. How new media are transforming traditional journalism. Rena Kim Bivens. Journalism Practice, 1751-2794, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 113 – 129
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Internet sites;

7 July London attacks, 2007. Viewed October 7th, 2010, from; http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/july7

Sambrook, R. 2009. Citizen Journalism and The BBC. Viewed October 7th, 2010, from; http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=100542

Allan, S. 2007. Citizen Journalism and the Rise of “Mass Self-Communication”: Reporting the London Bombings. Issue 1, Volume 1. Viewed October 12th, 2010, from; http://www.commarts.uws.edu.au/gmjau/iss1_2007/pdf/HC_FINAL_Stuart%20Allan.pdf

Use of Citizen Sources During the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks, 2010. Viewed October 12th, 2010, from; http://snurb.info/node/1360