thinking about citizen journalism: perspectives on participatory news production at community...
TRANSCRIPT
Thinking about Citizen Journalism: Perspectives on Participatory News
Production at Community Newspapers
Seth C. LewisKelly Kaufhold
Dominic L. Lasorsa
School of Journalism • University of Texas
Participatory Professional
Digitization and its tension
Clarifying our concepts
Citizen journalism
Smaller newspapers
Gatekeeping theory
Research questions
• RQ1. In general, what do community newspaper editors think of citizen journalism, and how likely are they to incorporate some variation of it in their news operation?
• RQ2. How do community newspapers negotiate citizen journalism, as a philosophical concept and a practical concern, in their role as community gatekeeper?
Methods
• Systematic sampling of community papers• Semi-structured interviews with 29 top editors• Clarified the question of “citizen journalism”• Transcriptions textually analyzed
Results
• Papers took one of four approaches:
– 1. Disfavored citizen-J on philosophical grounds– 2. Disfavored on practical grounds
OR
– 3. Favored citizen-J on philosophical grounds– 4. Favored on practical grounds
Positive opinion ofcitizen journalism
Philosophy
Negative opinion ofcitizen journalism
Practicality
1. Disapprove on principle
• “News is meant to be reported professionally, not through some random citizen.”
• “I guess we kind of feel like since we’re the journalists we need to be the ones writing.”
• “I think citizen journalism detracts…. People see us as the authority news source.”
• “(We) have to control the content…. We have a good idea of what’s newsworthy based on our experience.”
2. Disapprove for practical reasons
• “I’m concerned that … things can be construed as fact when there’s nothing to back them up as facts…it would be pretty labor intensive.”
• “I see a lot of the citizen but not a lot of journalism. There’s a lot of slander and personal anger or bitterness, but not news.”
• “Things like editing issues, liability problems—they can go unchecked with this sort of thing.”
3. Approve on theoretical grounds
• “It’s vital to engaging a community that wants to have more ownership of their local media.”
• “…journalism will not be replaced by it but it will be supplemented by it.”
• “We’ve got to figure out a way to get the younger people involved and I think that’s the way to do it.”
• “We have an open-door policy. We even have students, student journalism.”
4. Approve on practical grounds
• “We’re a small paper, it allows us to get stuff in that we wouldn’t be able to send a reporter to.”
• “We involve citizens extensively… We have columnists writing about nature, humor, gossip, etc.”
• “There is so much more to cover and (only) so many people who are in a position to cover it.”
• “Any time you get input from your readers, it’s good.”
Positive opinion ofcitizen journalism
Philosophy
Negative opinion ofcitizen journalism
Practicality
9 editors
9 editors
7 editors
4 editors
