It is described as a curriculum that goes beyond what to teach. Nairaland, nigeria s leading discussion forum, lures in over a million users with snippets of entertainment, politics. Th e outcome is an unprecedented crisis in the supply of public interest journalism meaning journalism that is, independent, contextual, accountable, and relevant to citizenship. One big problem with this type of journalism is that it will be difficult for people to decide what to believe, unlike traditional journalism, where it is safe to assume the information disseminated is. Jul 09, 2014 how to open up citizen journalism in africa beyond the smartphone minority. Youthdevelopment is critical to the survival of any society. It has had a significant impact on todays news, with many believing that citizen journalism is a threat to professional and traditional journalism. Jan 14, 2017 while citizen journalism is welcomed by many, it is also considered a hindrance by others. Agee, ault and emery 1979 have defined journalism as a report of things as. Citizen journalism is we media because according to bowman and willis. Through purposive sampling, the participants in the study were drawn from the citizen journalists contributing news content to the citizen journalism websites sahara reporters and iindaba ziyafika from a nigerian and a south african perspective, respectively.
How technology transforms journalism business through citizenreporters in nigeria. Welcome to nij africas premier institution in journalism, media and communication studies the nigerian institute of journalism, nij, is one of the foremost training institutions for journalism, media and communication studies in nigeria and africa, established in 1963 by the international press institute, ipi, with headquarters in zurich, switzerland. Reporters, the citizen journalism website, as nigerias first leading citizen. Citizen journalism as a contestant in the history of. Nigeria from their base in the west for routine business. Development journalism is rooted in the ethos that factual reporting is not enough. This is of course a function of the dominance exercised by mainstream media, but, more significantly, the fact that widespread access to high speed.
A primer on the definition, risks and benefits summary this section defines citizen journalism and looks at the look at the benefits and risks and also looks at some of the main debates in communications research. Pdf citizen journalism and election monitoring in nigeria. Journalism survey asked journalists to rate how safe they felt reporting on corruption cases, most respondents 35% indicated that they felt moderately safe. Department of mass communication, delta state university, p. Using casestudy research, it profiles the major diasporan online. Still, it has found itself the target of billionaires, politicians and boko haram. This development is attributable to the overwhelming use of the social media the country. Citizen journalism, as a form of alternative media, presents a radical challenge to the professionalized and institutionalized practices of the mainstream media.
Sunday dare is a nigerian investigative journalist with two decades of media experience both nationally and abroad. Online journalism has changed the face of journalism practice in nigeria and the world at large. Case studies are drawn from research conducted by leading scholars from the fields of media studies, journalism, anthropology and history, who uniquely probe the real impact of technologies in driving change in africa. According to flew, there have been three elements critical to the rise of citizen journalism. Official secrets act nigerias leading intellectual. Implications of citizen journalism on the main stream. Citizens collect, report, analyze, and disseminate news and information, just as professional journalists would. Since they constitute over 60 percent of most societies, their role is indispensable. Reddy is the author of handbook of journalism and media. The press in nigeria has been playing a historic role in the struggles for national. This workshop was hosted by nyandarua youth empowerement trust nyentrust, with the collaboration of centre for youth empowerment and leadership cyel, a youth ict initiative founded by iafrikan writer.
The sahara reporters, one of such websites, is noted for its timely reports on issues. Citizen journalism has expanded its worldwide influence despite continuing concerns over whether citizen journalists are as reliable as trained professionals. How to open up citizen journalism in africa beyond the smartphone minority. Citizen journalism involves private individuals, who are normally the consumers of journalism, generating their own news content. The impact of citizen journalism on the established journalism industry, and its role in the future news media mix, remain key topics in current journalism studies. For citizen journalism to have a greater impact on traditional journalism and play an important role in the society, it needs to be organised, bound by rules and codes of ethics, and those who engage in it need to understand the guidelines that must be followed to publish news. When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform. Information communication technology and citizen journalism. However, india is going to witness more journalistic action on social media websites in spite of rti.
The latest articles about citizen journalism from mashable, the media and tech company. Educause learning initiative 2007 the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news by the public, by means of cell phones, digital cameras, blogs, etc. The interactive nature of internet is a crucial factor while some believe its role of citizen journalism is unethical in journalism profession others opine it is sacrosanct to participatory democracy. Pdf the evolution and challenges of online journalism in. Forms of citizen journalism and modes of communication 09 2. Breaking barriers in africa through citizen journalism. During his time as a thomson reuters fellow in 201011, he wrote a research project entitled the rise of citizen journalism in nigeria a case study of sahara reporters, in which he examined in detail his countrys foremost citizen journalism enterprise. The news audience should be educated and motivated through the perspectives and opinions offered about the news reports. This workshop was hosted by nyandarua youth empowerement trust nyentrust, with the collaboration of centre for youth empowerment and leadership cyel, a youth ict initiative founded by iafrikan writer bonface witaba. The web site twitter established itself as an emerging outlet for the dissemination of information during the protests following the iranian presidential election in june 2009. Online journalism and the challenge of ethics in nigeria 586 historical origin of online journalism in 1993, the university of floridas journalism department launched what is generally considered to be the first online journalism web site.
Winner of the 2008 misa press freedom award, he has published in the following. It poses difficulties to the audience about what to believe. Jay rosen, professor at nyu, and member of the wikipedia advisory board, gives this definition of citizien journalism. The role of the media and investigative journalism in. Nairaland, nigerias leading discussion forum, lures in over a million users with snippets of entertainment, politics. A wide range of activities in which everyday people contribute information or commentary about news events. Journalists were most concerned about threatened or actual legal action, in the form of civil suits for libel, or criminal prosecution for defamation or. Two momentous developments have defined the nigerian journalistic landscape in the last ten years. Citizen journalism refers to the reporting of news events by members of the public using the internet to spread the information.
The rise of citizen journalism in nigeria a case study of. Therefore, citizen journalism ideology negates that of the mainstream media where top down communication exists. Citizen journalism can be a simple reporting of facts and news that is largely ignored by large media companies. The rise of citizen journalism in nigeria a case study. Citizen journalism in society and its impact on traditional. Participatory politics and citizen journalism in a networked. The role of online information journalism in democratization of countries. Citizen journalism, journalism that is conducted by people who are not professional journalists but who disseminate information using web sites, blogs, and social media. Library research method was used to generate secondary data for this paper. Chapter 5 presents case studies of the practice of citizen journalism in east africa, the maghreb, southern africa. By its interactivity and ability to deliver news in split seconds, citizen journalism has posed a serious challenge to the mainstream media in nigeria. This book investigates the role of citizen journalism in railroading social and political changes in subsaharan africa. This study investigated lagos residents perception of the image of nigerian journalists. To what extent have nigerians embraced citizen journalism in the forms of social media and online news muckraking sites and in what ways has.
The rise of citizen journalism in nigeria reuters institute for the. It is easily spread through personal websites, blogs, microblogs, social media and so on. The typical example of citizen journalism is channeled tv eyewitness report in nigeria. A study on challenges posed by amateurs by rabia noor citizen journalism is a rapidly evolving form of journalism, which has enabled ordinary people to report newsworthy situations around them. Citizen journalism for governance and development 10 2. Recent national and international developments are demonstrating the power of technology to transform communication channels, media sources, events, and the. More people than citizens of a given nation may be involved, and what occurs is not always considered journalism. Citizen journalism has played a major role in 21stcentury political events. Nowadays mainstream media do not serve as the only source of news. By mark lee hunter and luuk sengers, with marcus lindemann. Jun 19, 2015 however, india is going to witness more journalistic action on social media websites in spite of rti. In this chapter, i explore the history of the struggles for democracy and inclusion by nigerias traditional media, and show how emergent genres of webbased journalism are supervening upon the traditional media as sites for the push and pull of democratic discourses. How to open up citizen journalism in africa beyond the.
To achieve this, the study focused on three objectives which were. Pdf citizen journalism is fast becoming an alternative platform for the common man to lend their voices in the process of governance. Mar 19, 2015 lagos, nigeria one of nigerias most widely read news sources, saharareporters, operates from new york and relies heavily on reporting by citizenjournalists in nigeria. Citizen journalism is the basis of democracy that encourages citizens to actively participate in social processes. It was a very basic, static web site, with a picture of the redbricked wall of the journalism department. A case study of 2015 presidential election in nigeria ngozi okpara, panatlantic university, lagos, nigeria the european conference on media, communication and film 2015 official conference proceedings abstract media can set agenda which can positively or negatively affect the society. Citizen journalism also known as participatory journalism, democratic journalism, guerrilla journalism or street journalism is based upon public citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information. Citizen journalism in nigeria by alexander decker issuu. The typical example of citizen journalism is channels tv eye witness report. Journalists were most concerned about threatened or actual legal action, in the form of civil suits for libel, or. Social media plays key role in nigerian elections al. The study reveals that in as much as citizen journalism and ict are interwoven, numerous issues and challenges associated with ict are confronting the efficiency of citizen journalism in nigeria. Both the political leaders and the electorate in nigeria use the social media for various reasons. This investigation explores and analyses the social context for the emergence of citizen journalism in nigeria and the technological platform for its operations.
Citizen journalism is now a popular brand of journalism in nigeria. Some people even believe that it has a future hand in hand with professional journalism. Radsch defines citizen journalism as an alternative and activist form of news gathering and. The internet has virtually revolutionized the process of news and information gathering and dissemination. This dissertation chronicles the emergence and flowering of the citizen and alternative online journalism of the nigerian diasporic public sphere located primarily in the united states. This paper went in search for a platform to help the youth of bauchi diocese to reach their. Jul 17, 2016 new social media tools empower citizen journalism it may be inside a protest rally, or in front of a deadly shooting. The course teaches reporters how to approach stories for posting on the web using the strengths of the online venue. The study evaluated the possibilities and challenges of citizen journalism in nigeria and discovered that citizen journalism is emerging as a powerful phenomenon across nigeria as evidenced in popular citizen journalism websites. State advertising and advertorials compromising editorial independence are rife. Citizen journalism has played an increasing role in the reporting of major global events and provides on. Ict and citizen journalism in nigeria before now, newspapers and magazines were the only forms of print media until 14301450, when in europe. Participatory politics and citizen journalism in a.
This type of journalism is regarded as uncensored and raw that is portrayed to the public with people other than professional journalists. Rufus giwa polytechnic, owo, ondo state, nigeria abstract this paper looks at the implication of new technology on the practice of journalism especially the use of internet to produce, disseminate and receive information. The enhanced discursive opportunity structures that the internet enables has inspired a momentous revolution in the nigerian media landscape. New social media tools empower citizen journalism it may be inside a protest rally, or in front of a deadly shooting. However, in as much as citizen journalism in nigeria has broadened peoples access to a variety of news, this study suggests that during emergencies, citizen journalists should not spread news. The first is the migration of all major nigerian newspapers to the internet while actively sustaining their print editions in hopes of reaching. On the other hand, citizen journalism in its various avatars has struggled to establish a high profile, despite several significant citizen journalism initiatives over the last decade and a half. On 10 february 2016, iafrikan in conjunction with kenic tld and icannwiki cosponsored a workshop on citizen journalism in nyandarua, kenya. Jan 15, 2019 citizen journalism was once hailed as a revolution that would make newsgathering a more democratic process one that would no longer solely be the province of professional reporters. Pdf information communication technology and citizen. Adrian wills, says citizen journalists footage and social media doesnt impact his programming but he concedes it is an increasingly important marketing tool. This has made it possible for citizen journalism to gain acceptance in nigeria. Aug 12, 2017 the latest articles about citizen journalism from mashable, the media and tech company. As a result, multiple terms attempt to describe the same phenomenon.