Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism is a growing trend that encourages the public to be a participant in the shaping of information. Blogs, forums, and user comments on news and e-commerce sites have given citizens the ability to share their opinion and point of view.

Amazon, Future Shop, and other online retailers have given consumers the right to comment and vote on products, which has become a large resource of information that would otherwise be non-existent. It has become the virtual equivalent to asking your neighbour what they thought of the latest digital camera or television set.

User contributed new sites are becoming very common. Places like Slashdot and Engadget, where almost all the news articles are pulled in by users from other resources. These kinds of practices have created communities where like minded individuals can share news they have found and bring it into open discussion.

Citizen journalism stems from people who know exactly what they want to say and want a way to share their opinion. It has created forums and communities where people can vote, chat, and share what they find interesting. Essentially, in citizen journalism, everyone can have and share their opinion.