The Blurring Line of Who's Watching Who

The role of Journalism has always been that of watchdog to those in power, be it a government official or a CEO of a powerful company. It still is that but it’s also changing. Evolving is a much better way of saying it. Professional journalism is slowly giving way to citizen journalism and it’s changing the way news is covered.

Instead of local newspapers or major television stations watch-dogging important public figures, everyone has the ability to watchdog everyone else. They are the ones being watched. The public now is talking about them, fact-checking them, overlooking them. The internet and digital media gives anyone with access to a computer the ability to become a journalist.

Cell phones come equipped with digital cameras and the ability to shoot video as well. No one is safe from the roving reporter who has become us. Just browsing You Tube alone, you can find any number of acts of news-worthy stories ranging from car crashes to police brutality. Most if not all of these were shot by someone like you, the public. Michael Richards recent racist rant was caught on a small digital camera by someone who wants to remain anonymous and shown on You Tube along with every other major news network.

Blogs have the ability to disclose the most intimate details of someone’s personal life. The growing number of social websites such as Myspace makes these blogs easier to access and use. It used to be only trained professionals were the gatekeepers of all important information. Now it can be a high school senior, a mom, someone juggling two jobs, or even one of your grandparents.

The question remains though, is this real journalism or is most of it just an invasion of privacy. Are these people qualified enough to decide what news is but more importantly are they capable of distributing this information in a responsible way? An example of this is the pending lawsuit between two former Capitol Hill aides. A female aide’s blog which details explicitly spanking, handcuffs and prostitution is involved in a case which could help establish whether people who keep online diaries are obligated to protect the privacy of the people they interact with offline.

While it does have it negative points such as privacy concerns mentioned above, it has unlimited potential for the positive. The public has access to more information then they could have ever imagined. A well-informed population offers nothing but benefits for everyone. The public is better informed on political issues and therefore will vote the best person into office. A public informed of a company’s shady practices will have the responsible parties dealt with. These are just two broad examples of positive returns.

So for now the discussion continues or the argument that rages on, depending on what side of the fence you are on. Is citizen journalism a form of journalism and be recognized as such or will the debate of “blogger vs. journalist” go on?

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

Joel Simkhai has published numerous articles on a wide range of topics related to magazine journalism. He is currently the owner of MagsForLess - a company that provides discounted magazine subscriptions, and focuses on customer satisfaction.

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