Jay RosenNov 19, 2022

Quoting Elon Musk:

"As Twitter pursues the goal of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will try everything to stop that from happening."

My definition of citizen journalism— 14 years ago:

"When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another, that’s citizen journalism."

http://archive.pressthink.org/2008/07/14/a_most_useful_d.html

I still like that definition.

But: that citizen journalism can or should replace the professional kind is a crazy claim.

PressThink: A Most Useful Definition of Citizen Journalism

Show threadPaulusNov 21, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu The problem with your original definition is that in far too many instances citizen journalism has become the tool of MISinformation. It is precisely that that drove the MAGA movement in the face of American journalism which, at the beginning of Trump’s interregnum, was too well mannered to call a lie a lie. If the professional media had not
sat on its hands and simpered when he pilloried them, we might not be where we are now.
Show threadJay RosenNov 21, 2022

@Paulus I certainly agree: citizen journalism that becomes a tool of misinformation is a big problem, but why is that a problem with the definition? The definition just describes what citizens journalism is. It doesn't say, "and this will always be beneficial."

The internet in far too many instances has become the tool of misinformation. But is that part of its definition?

Show threadPaulusNov 22, 2022
@jayrosen_nyu I think it may depend on the definition of journalism . If it is simply the gathering and dispersal of news and information then “citizen journalism” was that for a short while only, but subsequently morphed into virulent opinion. Surely it’s intended to be more than the acerbic monologues Twitter generates? It is all opinion and very little journalism, citizen or otherwise.
Show threadJay RosenNov 22, 2022
@Paulus I'm not tracking what that has to do with the defintion I wrote, and I am going to leave off here. Cheers.
Show threadPaulus
@jayrosen_nyu of course. Much more interesting discussion than your average angry “You’re an asshole” debate on Twitter though. Cheers.
Nov 23, 2022 at 12:09amWeb