News
Citizen journalists put the 'me' in the media
One of the discussions during the recent Arab Media Forum centered on how the world has been "less controlled by the journalist and more by the common man". Members of the public – armed with gadgets like mobile phones – are the new news gatherers.
In the UAE, while citizen reporting has not yet fully taken off, news outfits have began urging readers to be more participatory by contributing stories and multimedia content, and providing feedback to articles posted on newspaper websites.
Alexander McNabb, group account director of Dubai-based communications firm Spot On Public Relations, says citizen journalism is proof of how so-called "amateur journalists" have become more involved in events that affect them.
"It is self-correcting in a way because readers react more quickly to news posted online than in conventional journalism," he said.
McNabb, a UAE resident and a blogger himself, said social media has made a major impact as more of us turn to the web for news.
Dr. Ammar Bakkar, group director of New Media for MBC Group and editor-in-chief of AlArabiya.net, said he has nothing against citizen journalism per se but he believes its real meaning should not be distorted. "I would always be cautious when using the term 'citizen journalism'," he told Emirates Business. Bakkar explained that the concept began in small town newspapers in the US where "people on the street" were encouraged to contribute human-interest stories.
However, he said user-generated news could threaten the credibility of journalism as a profession.
"When readers can no longer distinguish what is true from not, they become cynical and that is dangerous to the industry," he said.
Bakkar admits that newspaper circulations in the UAE have also been affected by the online revolution. "Web readers are younger and they easily get bored. People have a reason why they visit certain blogs or websites. This poses a challenge to the regional media industry to be more creative, without compromising their credibility, so as to cater to a new breed of audience," he said.
DIY news
'Citizen journalism' – from anonymous online postings to 'official' sites like CNN's iReport – has challenged mainstream journalism, driving debate as to whether blogs and multimedia portals are constructive or destructive to the media industry in general.
New York Times columnist Samuel Freedman once wrote that citizen journalism "does not merely challenge the notion of professionalism in journalism but completely circumvents it. It is journalism according to the ethos of indie rock 'n' roll: Do It Yourself."
In the UAE, while citizen reporting has not yet fully taken off, news outfits have began urging readers to be more participatory by contributing stories and multimedia content, and providing feedback to articles posted on newspaper websites.
Alexander McNabb, group account director of Dubai-based communications firm Spot On Public Relations, says citizen journalism is proof of how so-called "amateur journalists" have become more involved in events that affect them.
"It is self-correcting in a way because readers react more quickly to news posted online than in conventional journalism," he said.
McNabb, a UAE resident and a blogger himself, said social media has made a major impact as more of us turn to the web for news.
Dr. Ammar Bakkar, group director of New Media for MBC Group and editor-in-chief of AlArabiya.net, said he has nothing against citizen journalism per se but he believes its real meaning should not be distorted. "I would always be cautious when using the term 'citizen journalism'," he told Emirates Business. Bakkar explained that the concept began in small town newspapers in the US where "people on the street" were encouraged to contribute human-interest stories.
However, he said user-generated news could threaten the credibility of journalism as a profession.
"When readers can no longer distinguish what is true from not, they become cynical and that is dangerous to the industry," he said.
Bakkar admits that newspaper circulations in the UAE have also been affected by the online revolution. "Web readers are younger and they easily get bored. People have a reason why they visit certain blogs or websites. This poses a challenge to the regional media industry to be more creative, without compromising their credibility, so as to cater to a new breed of audience," he said.
DIY news
'Citizen journalism' – from anonymous online postings to 'official' sites like CNN's iReport – has challenged mainstream journalism, driving debate as to whether blogs and multimedia portals are constructive or destructive to the media industry in general.
New York Times columnist Samuel Freedman once wrote that citizen journalism "does not merely challenge the notion of professionalism in journalism but completely circumvents it. It is journalism according to the ethos of indie rock 'n' roll: Do It Yourself."