National Association of Citizen Journalists

January 2, 2012

An iPhone or a Smartphone can be a wonderful thing. You can do…well, darn near iPhone Smartphone anything with it…including record for posterity any event within eye-range or should I say, I-range.

Unless you want to become famous (or infamous), don’t lose your temper at the check-out stand or yell at your kid in the WalMart parking lot. If you do, soon 145,329 (more or less) people could view it on the Internet because some guy caught it on his Smartphone, uploaded it to YouTube, then tweeted and Facebooked it even before you got to your car.

From this day forward, politicians at every level, classroom professors, town cops, TSA agents, and even FedEx delivery folks must be on their best behavior at all times. If not, their misadventures will be caught on tape and published for posterity.

We used to complain that Big Brother was watching us. Well, he is - security cameras are now ubiquitous, but your little brother and his anonymous film crew of thousands are also pointing and shooting their Smartphones at our every act of clumsiness, stupidity or illegality. This makes it very difficult to “spin” our faux pas once our wife or boss or principal or constituents or friends or enemies see it in living color. No one can get away with even a little prank without the whole world finding out.

Smartphones are good, I suppose, for citizen journalists. It allows them to break news before the mainstream media get back to their vans to edit their tape for broadcast.

But the problem is context. A properly prepared and delivered news story takes time and work. The reader/listener/viewer needs context to fully understand what they are viewing, not just raw footage. A serious journalist always tells the whole story of who, what, where, why, when and how, not just the slip-and-fall part.

In our book, “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” my co-author Susan Carson Cormier and I write that those who make intermittent or perhaps only once-in-a-lifetime Smartphone postings should not be referred to as citizen journalists. We call them “accidental citizen journalists” because that’s what they are. They are citizens who just happened to be somewhere when something interesting transpired and they pointed their Smartphone at it.

Filming something doesn’t make you a journalist any more than using your microwave oven makes you a gourmet chef.

Besides that, accidental citizen journalists have no training in legitimate journalism and no editor to demand they report the whole story. Historically, these kinds of people were referred to as eye-witnesses. They would be interviewed by a reporter then have their comments placed within the full context of a story.

A serious citizen journalist knows that no 44-second clip of someone’s violation of accepted social norms is the whole story. A serous citizen journalist knows how to put their stories in context.

3:27pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSyEAH59A

(Notes: 2)

October 7, 2011

Malaysian Citizen Journalists and our Book

Malaysian Citizen Journalists When a citizen journalist trainer in Malaysia inquired about presenting a copy of our book, “Handbook for Citizen Journalists,” to each person attending their training session, my co-author and I wanted to make it happen.

Their event was imminent so shipping the books from the USA to Malaysia was not possible. I Googled “digital printers Malaysia” and contacted the one that looked best and sent in a request for a bid with information about the deadline. The printer responded immediately and after several exchanges of emails, the deal was done.

The printer printed and packed 200 books for Maran Perianen, a trainer of Malaysian citizen journalists, just in time for his weekend conference.

“The citizen journalists were impressed with the book,” Perianen, told us by e-mail.

“I also plan to give the book in my future training for their reference,” said Perianen, who also is the program director for an online news agency, Malaysiakini.

Malaysiakini, with the assistance of Washington, D.C.-based International Center for Journalists, has successfully conducted almost 70 workshops across Malaysian and has trained more than 350 citizen journalists, according to Perianen.

As the result of this training, Perianen said, the citizen journalists have successfully produced more than 1,500 news videos and almost 1,000 news articles.

“These stories have triggered significant reactions from many individuals, organizations and the government itself.”

My co-author, Susan Carson Cormier, and I are pleased the citizen journalists will be using the “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” as a resource guide. We truly believe that the information, motivation and training they will receive from the handbook will help them in their future endeavors.

And, of course, Susan and I both want to congratulate the Malaysian journalists for their work and wish them continued success.

You can visit the Malaysian website at www.cj.my.

2:05pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSyAOah1M

August 5, 2011

Citizen Journalist Alert: Beware the Kryptonite

Clark Kent, the mild-mannered crime reporter for the Daily Planet who often appeared as Superman, spent his career avoiding kryptonite, the radio-active element from Superman’s home planet, Krypton. Even the slightest exposure to kryptonite would drain Superman of his strength and leave him as vulnerable as any normal human being.

If you want to be a super citizen journalist and “leap tall buildings with a single bound” in your career, you too must beware of kryptonite. In your career as a citizen journalist, kryptonite can come in many dangerous and nearly invisible forms.

Beware the kryptonite of instant gratification.

Citizen journalists want to make a difference. They want to see the world informed and even changed because of their reporting - and they are impatient! They expect their feature article in a magazine, their news item picked up by a widely-read news website or their video posted on YouTube to be seen by millions to launch their career from an unknown citizen journalist to the latest version of Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein.

Problem is there is little instant gratification in being a citizen journalist. The antidote to the kryptonite of instant gratification is steady reporting, constant interviewing and ample writing. A super citizen journalist knows that it’s not what you do once in a while, but what you do every day that makes you successful.

Beware the kryptonite of fleeting innovation.

New ideas can kill you. One writer called it “the idea avalanche.” There’s no easier way to get me off track than to start brainstorming some problem or ask me to chase after some beguiling idea. I love new things, new ideas and novel techniques, but they can easily be the kryptonite that takes you away from the fundamentals of your writing career.

Anything that relentlessly distracts you from creative and productive activity must be avoided. Just today someone tweeted, “10 Ways to Get More Re-Tweets.” I almost clicked on it, but I knew it would be one more kryptonite moment that would weaken my writing agenda for the day.

Beware the kryptonite of perpetual procrastination.

“I’ll finish it tomorrow” are the words of a procrastinator. We put off things because we don’t want to do them or because we have other projects or assignments that are more pressing or more fun to do.

Writing takes time. You can’t finish a 500-word story without investing significant, uninterrupted time seated in front of your computer actually composing meaningful sentences into complete and well-ordered paragraphs resulting in a useful and readable story. Write when the words are hot. If they are not hot, write until they become hot, but don’t put it off until tomorrow. Someone once said, “Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.”

Beware the kryptonite of habitual accommodation.

Citizen journalists can suffer from the kryptonite of always saying YES when they should say no. Super-achievers and super-reporters know their limitations and when they must say “no.” You know what is important to your writing career, but you must work to keep the main thing, in fact, the main thing.

When someone asks you to do something, don’t be afraid to say, “Thank you for the opportunity, but my writing agenda for this week will not allow me to accept your offer.” Or in much simpler terms, “No.”

Beware the kryptonite of unreasonable interruption.

Things happen throughout a day to compete for your immediate attention. I used to have my email client set so whenever a new email came in a little screen would pop-up on my computer. It seemed like it always happened right in the middle of a creative moment. Finally I shut it off and my focus improved dramatically.

When things distract you, always ask: “Is this urgent or important?” Just because it’s urgent does not mean it is important. Think about all the totally unimportant, useless and even stupid emails, texts, telephone calls and drop-by interruptions that yank you away from doing what you do best. Those unimportant, yet seemingly urgent, interruptions are kryptonite to your high-value priorities. Resist them.

Being Superman is an important role to play in society. Being a super-reporter is also important. Clark Kent, crime reporter for the Daily Planet, knew enough to avoid kryptonite. So must you.

11:40am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy7xrKVJ

(Notes: 2)

Filed under: Superman Kryptonite Citizen journalism

August 1, 2011

MSNBC Journalist Teaches Citizen Journalists how NOT to do it

Contessa Brewer and Mo Brooks MSNBC news anchor Contessa Brewer is a trained broadcast journalist who has provided both professional and citizen journalists with a lesson on how NOT to conduct an on-air interview.

It all happened in a recent live conversation about the debt ceiling debate she had with US Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL). Instead of persisting with serious journalistic questions she mistakenly entered into an argument with Rep. Brooks that ended up embarrassing her in front of whatever tiny audience her cable network had. The most humiliating part of the interview went like this:

“Journalist” Brewer: “You’re simplifying the issues that were on the plate of the nation at that point. I mean we were looking at going – averting a Depression at that point, everyone the Fed chairman …”

Rep. Brooks: “Well I disagree that we were going into a Depression, but go ahead.”

“Journalist” Brewer: “Do you have a degree in economics?”

Rep. Brooks: “Yes Ma’am I do, highest honors.”

She made two mistakes: First of all she did not do her background research to effectively know her guest before the lights were on and the microphones hot. Second, she debated Rep. Brooks rather than query him.

Had she done her background study she would have known that Rep. Brooks graduated from Duke University in three years with a double major in political science and economics, with highest honors in economics. Had she known that do you think she would have asked in incredulous tone, “Do you have a degree in economics?”

Me either.

Her journalism degree should have prepared her to ask good questions and do proper background research. For sure, it did not prepare her to debate someone who earned a degree in economics “with highest honors.”

“Oooops” is the kindest thing I have to say about journalist Brewer, and thanks for the lesson on how not to conduct an interview.

3:23pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy7nyaNZ

(Notes: 1)

Filed under: Contessa Brewer Mo Brooks journalism

July 13, 2011

Ten Really Bad Ideas for Citizen Journalists

An on-air cable news reporter said recently, “Send us your photos and videos of Bad Idea the flood but be careful out there and stay safe.” It was a worthy warning for citizen journalists who want to get the big story and bust into the cable news show with an exciting video, image or report.

But putting yourself in danger is only one of several warnings citizen journalists should heed. Here are ten BAD IDEAS for citizen journalists:

It’s a bad idea to be a photo forger – the manipulation of any digital image is a big mistake. It is NEVER right to Photoshop someone in or out of a picture or otherwise change the true image. It makes you a liar and a fraud.

It’s a bad idea to put your self in any kind of danger. Just because the river is rising doesn’t mean you have to walk out to the levee for a great shot of the breach! It could kill you – as could walking into the middle of a street melee for a better view of the brawl.

It’s a bad idea to trespass. If you don’t have permission to walk across the field or into an office, don’t go there. To trespass is a criminal act so get permission first or you may get acquainted with your local police!

It’s a bad idea to mislead. Tell the truth – even if it’s not what you wanted to write about. “Spin” is just a nice word for hoodwink. Make sure your photos, videos, cutlines, headlines and news stories deal with real facts presented in an honest sequence for the most accurate story.

It’s a bad idea to fabricate news. Don’t invent events, create characters or make up quotations. If you want a quick and certain end to your career as a citizen journalist, just make up some news and you’ll soon be on your way back to your old dead-end job.

It’s a bad idea to hurt people for the sake of a story. Some news hurts innocent people so be careful when doing a story on a tragic situation. Have some human compassion for victims and/or their loved ones.

It’s a bad idea to identify certain people. Juvenile suspects or victims should NEVER be identified. Adult or child victims of sexual abuse should NEVER be identified.

It’s a bad idea to take bribes. Bribes can come in the form of special favors, gifts, fees, travel expenses, or special treatment for covering an event or for spinning the story a certain way. All are wrong and must be avoided.

It’s a bad idea to plagiarize. Research is one thing – plagiarism is something else. Many journalists (citizen or professional) have ruined their careers because they couldn’t bother to write the story their way but just lifted it word-for-word from someone else.

It’s a bad idea to disregard common sense. Don’t get so caught up in an event or a story that you lose a sense of right or wrong, safety or danger. Pay attention to your gut feelings. If it feels wrong or dangerous – it probably is. It’s your career and sometime it’s your life that is at stake.

Ron Ross is the co-author of Handbook for Citizen Journalists, the only book written FOR aspiring and active citizen journalists. www.citizenjournalistnow.com

4:01pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy74Hvgw

(Notes: 1)

Filed under: citizen journalism, plagiarism, journalist ethics, journalism dos and don’ts, handbook for citizen journalists

July 1, 2011

Think the Press is Free? Think Again.

You might think because of the First Amendment that the press will always be free. Think again.

There are those at work today who would like the government to nationalize the news media much like they did the banks and auto industry. They base their ideas on the oft referred to “crisis in journalism” happening with the demise of many great newspapers, the closing of many national magazines, and the decrease of advertising revenue to support the same.

A few politicians and many socialistic leaning activists in places of power in Washington DC are suggesting the government subsidize journalism with tax credits and cash grants because the “capitalist media” has failed. They want to enslave journalists to the state so they can maintain a free press. That’s kind of like cutting down the trees to save the forest; doesn’t make any sense.

Take a look at what the government has done with the banks and the auto industry after giving them some bailout money. They now tell the banks who to make loans to and how to structure the wages of their CEOs. After handing a few billion dollars to the auto industry, a couple of faceless government appointed bureaucrats arbitrarily shut down certain automobile dealerships – many of which were well managed and profitable. Now they are dictating union wages and what kind of cars the auto companies are to build. It’s a simple principle: The government controls whatever it subsidizes.

If you don’t like what The New York Times prints or what you hear on the nightly news or what is broadcast on talk radio – imagine how much you’ll enjoy the Big Government News Service giving you all the news THEY decide that’s fit to print.

Who do you trust more to give you the news – your local TV stations and newspapers that have deep roots in your community (the “capitalist media”) or the current party in control of Washington D.C., your state legislature or the governor’s office?

Who do you think is more likely to give you reliable reports of what’s really happening in the halls of congress or at the White House – reporters who are appointed and paid for by the present ruling political party (it’s the Democrats now but could soon be Republicans), or skeptical journalists who are free to gather information, ask probing questions, seek verification, and write fearlessly about what they find?

Don’t be lulled to sleep – the free press is under attack in America and the foes are using clever language to hide their agenda. Beware of those who want to make the Internet a “public utility” and who whine about “media capitalists”. They want government control of your Internet provider, they want to regulate the programming on your favorite talk-radio station, oversee what’s broadcast on the 24-hour cable news stations, and regulate what’s published in newspapers. Doesn’t sound like a free press to me.

Beware of high-minded sounding projects to “Save the News” (savethenews.org) and be skeptical of those who endorse regulations on the media and who propose tax credits and government funding that will allegedly move America “Toward a National Journalism Strategy” (freepress.net).

The only national journalism strategy we need is to maintain the wall of separation between the government and the various ways news is researched, reported and consumed.
And one more thing…subscribe to and support your local newspaper. They are on the front lines in the battle for a free press.

1:20pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy6evstk

Filed under: Freedom of the Press, Press Freedom, Government Control, New York Times, White House Reporters, Media Capitalists, Journalists, Reporters, Talk Radio, Capitalism, Save the News, FreePress, Ron Ross, Ronald D. Ross, Dr. Ron Ross

June 20, 2011

A Short History of Citizen Journalism

The history of citizen journalism is actually the history of journalism itself. Do a little research and you find that citizen journalism pre-dates professional journalism by about 200 years.

The first newspaper in the American colonies was published in 1690 and over the next 200 years, printers and newsmen opened hundreds of newspapers with varying degrees of success. During those two centuries, none of the news writers were professional journalists because the profession hadn’t been created. The journalists of the day were just citizens who felt passionate about something, owned or had access to a printing press, and started writing, printing and distributing their news however they could – sort of like 21st Century bloggers, photographers and videographers.

Perhaps journalism came of age in 1846 when The Associated Press wire service was formed or maybe it started in 1909 when the Society of Professional Journalists was founded. My opinion is that it began to evolve into a profession starting in the late 1860s soon after the Civil War when retired Confederate General, Robert E. Lee introduced a journalism course at a small church-owned university, Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia.

But it took awhile for the profession to become professional. In the 1900s newspapers fought viciously for circulation with absolutely no concern for honesty or truth in reporting. The term “yellow journalism” was coined as news editors and publishers would use imaginary drawings, fake interviews, pseudo-science, fictitious information from so-called experts, and scare headlines – usually in huge print and often of trivial newsworthiness.

Journalism as a profession prospered over the last 100 years especially with the creation of journalism schools in nearly every university or college in the world. The profession even wrote its own code of professional ethics and asked members of its profession to subscribe to it.

Unfortunately, over the last few decades many journalists ignored the code and segments of the profession have devolved back to the days of yellow journalism. When 28-year veteran CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg wrote his expose on media bias many in the profession called him a traitor. Media watchdog groups now have clear evidence that demonstrates provable bias in both print and broadcast media.*

With the advent of citizen journalism, the profession is transitioning back into the hands of the people who started it in the first place – citizens – John Doe journalists who, as self-confessed partisans find stories, interview witnesses, follow events, photograph incidents, record sound, videotape activities and report on all kinds of people being themselves, then post their reports on various websites.

Will the profession of journalism be better or worse because of this move back into the hands of citizens? Or will it survive at all?

We’ll see.

———————————————————————————————————-

For an even shorter view of the history of citizen journalism watch this brief but interesting YouTube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_FsY6ksDzk

*If you would like evidence of media bias note how NBC intentionally edited out “under God” from the pledge of allegiance during the opening of the US Open on Sunday, June 19, 2011. They later apologized saying, “it was not done to upset anyone,” nevertheless, it was done intentionally.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/19/nbc-apologizes-for-omitting-under-god-from-pledge-during-us-open-broadcast/?test=latestnews#comment

“Handbook for Citizen Journalists” is the only book written FOR aspiring and active citizen journalists.

10:48am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy6GwE9P

Filed under: Citizen Journalism, History of Journalism, yellow journalism, The Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Bernard Goldberg, Media Bias, citizen journalists

May 9, 2011

BA in Journalism - The most worthless degree

The Daily Beast posted an article recently titled, “20 Most Useless College Majors.” Journalism school The journalists who wrote the story concluded that a B.A. in journalism is the most useless degree of all.

According to the report, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was reviewed to come up with the list, including starting- and mid-career salary levels, the expected change in the total number of jobs from 2008 to 2018 and the expected percentage change in available jobs from 2008 to 2018.

If someone goes into journalism today because he or she wants a high-paying job with lots of perks and long-term job security, he or she will be disappointed and his or her education will be, as the article declares, useless. But for those who want to provide a valuable service to a news-hungry public, their degree is of great value.

The Beast’s conclusion does not bode well for news consumers, but it does open the door for the aggressive, well-trained and motivated citizen journalist. After all, the demand for fair and thorough reporting of news is not on the decline.

Transitional times in any industry are problematic but the transition going on in journalism is frightening. While the variety of platforms for news writing, news photography and news videography increases, the value of an education in journalism decreases.

This means that as never before when it comes to reading the news, caveat emptor – let the buyer beware!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-04-27/useless-college-majors-from-journalism-to-psychology-to-theater/

12:37pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy4_Fbx0

(Notes: 1)

Filed under: The Daily Beast citizen journalism journalism education jschools

April 4, 2011

Energized About Citizen Journalism

Sonya Rehman. Ever heard of her? Many in Pakistan have.

Rehman is a graduate from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, a journalist from Lahore, Pakistan and a blogger with over 157,000 hits at this writing. http://sonyarehman.wordpress.com/.

You can hear from Rehman in an 11-minute YouTube presentation. She asks, “Can tangible change take place? Yes it can.” And she gives evidence of citizen journalists who use cell phone cameras to make serious contributions to life in Pakistan.

CLICK HERE to view her YouTube presentation and realize her passion.

The website www.pakistanileaders.com tells you more about this interesting writer/journalist/innovator. It says Sonya Rehman “has been writing in leading English dailies as a ‘freelance feature writer’ apart from hosting a radio show and anchoring a television program as well. Moreover, she has been involved in many a self-styled endeavor which have fulfilled her intellectual appetite to an extent that she has always managed to keep her countenance happy and upbeat, and has stood tall against all odds.”

Now what about YOU?

Think about it. If Sonya Rehman can get 157,000 hits on her English blog about issues in Pakistan – what could you accomplish in your community?

In case you didn’t know it, you can get a free blog started within the next hour. It won’t cost you a penny and is very easy to accomplish. Here are three places you can start your own blog FREE even with limited technical skills:

There are many more free blogging websites than these so you have no excuse to keep you from cranking up your own blog today…or reviving the one you started last year…or to start contributing videos, articles or photos to the increasing number of citizen journalist portals available to you!

OK, I’ll concede that Sonya Rehman has one significant advantage: an excellent journalistic education. But don’t let that stop you. You can get top-quality online training by joining the National Association of Citizen Journalists or by reading the only book written FOR citizen journalists, “Handbook for Citizen Journalists.”

4:52pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy43H4zJ

Filed under: Sonya Rehman Columbia School of Journalism citizen journalist Pakistan blogging free blogging journalism

March 30, 2011

CNN’s Ratings Boosed by Citizen Journalists

Lately CNN’s ratings have been in the ditch – often in last place against its cable news rivals. But the ratings shot up when CNN used on-the-scene citizen reporters during the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, according to The New York Times.

CNN’s ratings jumped more than 400 percent and brought the cable news channel 2.2 million viewers on the first day of the disaster - beating Fox News for the first time in memory by a couple of hundred thousand viewers and trouncing MSNBC’s meager 558,000 viewers. CNN even came close to beating Fox News in the primetime slot (8-11 p.m.).

What made the difference? The visible difference was that CNN used a substantial number of citizen reports uploaded through its iReport portal.

It was clear to me as I flipped back and forth between Fox and CNN that CNN was using far more video from citizen journalists than Fox News.

My wife and I found it far more riveting to watch the citizen reports – most of which were without commentary - than it was to listen to over-energized anchors report nearly the same thing that was reported in the previous half-hour.

CNN is now taking its relationship with more than 700,000 iReporters around the world a step further.

Recently it announced a new format called Open Stories. This feature threads together the variety of citizen reports made on any given event. It links together video, photos, updates and comments from citizen journalists to create a multifaceted account of a single story.

The experiment has just begun and you should check it out. http://ireport.cnn.com/open-stories.jspa

The media is changing and citizen journalists are leading the way. Woo! Woo!

Ron Ross is the co-author of “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” and the co-founder of the National Association of Citizen Journalists.

10:36am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZPyqSy3w_vS3

Filed under: CNN, CNN open stories, Fox News, The New York Times, cable news ratings, citizen journalists, citizen journalism, MSNBC, earthquake coverage

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