we RIGHT it.

Citizen journalism is created when everyday people write the news. We decide what's important. We decide what gets disseminated. We become amateur journalists. You don't need a degree. You don't need a job. You don't even need any more than the basic tools- the internet and a collaborative news website. Doesn't that sound fun and easy? Well, it's no joke. It really is journalistic power right at your fingertips.

Because of Citizen Journalism, people from all over the world are exposing true situations that influence public policy. For instance, women in India are coming together and blogging about repression and the domination of men in their land. Commonly, men creep them out, especially on the streets. They stare, they harass, they say things under their breath. That would be uncomfortable to anybody, but it is a true problem there. They have even created advocates of this situation, and it all started through citizen journalism. The women would come together on forums and talk about the harassment, warn others which streets are filled with creepers, and even take photographs of these perverted men and display them on the website-for embarrassment. It may sound like a joke to us, but it is a real problem, and thanks to citizen journalism, Indian women are beginning to address the issue.

Even South Koreans are embracing citizen journalism, which, in turn, is making them more democratic.
How? Well, in a democratic society, it is for the people, by the people. In South Korea, an online magazine called OhMyNews is just that. They became more democratic after the speech abolition law was overrun by the Democratic Agreement of 1987. Now, magazines like OhMyNews can deviate from professional, include commenting systems, and everyone can participate.







<<Random Korean Man




Kids are citizens too.

In Brazil, children have even embraced citizen journalism. Newspaper clubs have allowed children to express themselves, their ideas, and their interest on paper. There are online newspapers where they can contribute, and they are given a chance to have a voice in a nation where exploitation and prostitution are not news to them.






So there may be a blurry line between professional and amateur journalism, but as long as the participatory culture continues, we will receive all kinds of news from all kinds of people.
Thanks for reading!