Adopting our Media Landscape to the World of Today. Acknowledging the Potential of Citizen Journalism

Abstract or Introduction

Our society is constantly changing. Recently especially the rise and spread of new technologies such as the internet has left their mark on today’s world: people have easy access to an abundance of data and the possibility to share their own information with almost the entire world with nothing but a small gadget which conveniently fits into their jeans pocket.

Be it as an answer to shortcomings in the professional journalistic field, be it due to the simple human urge to participate in and shape the world around him: Utilizing the possibilities of our increasingly connected community, in the last years citizen journalism has emerged as an alternative, and by now already somewhat important form to accumulate and report on news.
But while some scholars such as Bauman affirm that our increasingly complex and liquid modern society naturally makes a rethinking of the journalistic profession necessary, independent amateur journalists operating outside the mainstream media institutions nevertheless still encounter massive distrust and antipathy – especially out of the lines of their professional colleagues.
I believe, falling in line with an increasing number of renowned news institutions which are willing to give a liaison with citizen journalists a chance, that citizen journalism can actually be a great enrichment to our media landscape. Rather than seeing it as an assault on their class, professional journalists should embrace the opportunities of collaborative projects and the new diversity of news it implies.
By acknowledging an increased involvement of citizen journalists, our media landscape could give a greater number of people the platform to tell their stories and to shine a light on issues which might otherwise be left unseen – upholding democratic values and fostering their spread throughout a world which is not only as complex but also as interconnected as never before.