Assessment Three: Annotated Bibliography

The credibility of citizen journalism - new media vs. old media

“Journalism is the gathering and disseminating of new information to a wide audience about current events, trends, issues and people,” (Bainbridge, Goc, Tynan. Pg. 17). It is a form of communication that is professionally used to quote, document and present current happenings. This Annotated Bibliography will focus of the death of Michael Jackson and how citizen journalism was used in conjunction with professional journalism. It will critically engage with a range of texts from the fields of Journalism and Communication to discuss the reliability of this changing form of media. The mediums which these texts are coming from will be; television news report, online article and blog which highlight the 2009 event. The analysis taken will convey both the similar and contrasting opinions between each medium in order to account for their credibility.

Harrison, J. 2009. From the Biggest Job in the World To the Best Job in the World: Case Studies of Communication Campaigns Using Web 2.0. Section 1. When Grandpa gets to Google: Web 2.0, communication campaigns and case studies. Retrieved: 23/10/11

The birth and expansion of citizen journalism is a direct result of the advancement of technology, namely the Internet, throughout the past two decades. The Internet allows us to write and publish our own stories, views and opinions, and share them publically. In the Case Studies of Communication Campaigns Using Web 2.0, Harrison begins his discussion of today’s use of the web with the quote by McLuhan (1957). “Today we are beginning to notice that the new media are not just mechanical gimmicks for creating worlds of illusion, but new languages with new and unique powers of expression,” (Harrison, 2009. Pg. 1). By opening his discussion about web usage with this quote, Harrison is writing in favour of citizen journalism and other forms of ‘new media’ which have evolved in recent times. He says that “The balance has swung away from professional content producers to consumers’ who are also producers,” (Harrison, 2009. Pg. 2). This demonstrates that information on the web is increasingly being produced by the general public and less by professionally approved means of publication. However, his opening quote suggest that this has not proved to be a downfall but instead allowed us to evolve into new and more ‘powerful’ things.

ACESHOWBIZ, 2007. Lisa Marie Presley Blogs About Michael Jackson’s Death and How it Affects Her. http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00025327.html. Retrieved: 23/10/11

The blog by ACESHOWBIZ, published in 2007 gives us an insight into the citizen journalism which reporting on something as publically unsettling as the death of Michael Jackson. The death of singer, songwriter and performer, Michael Jackson was a 2009 event which shocked the world and caused public outcry. The public demanded immediate answers to the cause and actions which ultimately lead to the King of Pop’s death and the quickest way to spread this news what via the Internet. “Bloggers, who use the medium of the Internet, subscribe to the journalistic ideals of an obligation to the truth and the public’s right to information,” (Bainbridge, Goc, Tynan. Pg. 21). This suggests that all information on the Internet, by standards of ethics, should be true. However, the increase in new media forums has a direct correlation with the decline in credibility of news sources. By analysing and using the example of ACESHOWBIZ’s, 2009, re-blogging of Lisa Marie Presley’s personal blog written just after Jackson’s death, we can draw on our own opinions about the credibility of citizen journalism. The blog directly quotes Presley throughout its text, but what make it seem credible is the connected hyperlinks which direct us immediately to the original blog. However, how are we as the public, to be sure that this is truthfully Presley’s blog and if it is, how are we to know if what she says is accurate? This however is an issue that is not only faced with new media forms such as blogs, but also stills a concern with old media. As responders we have to make our own informed decisions about which information to account as credible or dismiss as fiction.

SkyNews, 2009. Television News Report. Breaking News report on Michael Jackson’s death. Confirmation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niMLcLIdzJY Retrieved: 23/10/11

The live, breaking news, television report by SkyNews on the 26 June, 2009, is an example of a type of professional journalism. Television reporting, although not considered a ‘traditional media’ form, is becoming increasingly less popular as a medium of consuming news. Professional journalism is being taken over by citizen journalism through mediums such as blogs, Twitter and Facebook, which have taken the world by storm over the past two decades. However, its content is more regulated by professional publishers, and news is presented by academically acclaimed journalists. This automatically makes for a more credible source than a media blog or social networking site. In the events of Jackson’s death, the breaking news coverage by SkyNews allowed views to see live footage of the scene at the hospital and held interviews with people present at the scene. The report claimed to have had the death of Jackson confirmed by family members which made the tragedy a reality. SkyNews, in conjunction with other professional news teams (in this case, Los Angeles Times) worked collectively to present a cohesive news report. This rebounding information from other alike mediums is something which is similarly used by citizen journalists, and is the soul essence of ‘re-tweeting’ or ‘re-blogging’. Similarly to the way SkyNews made reference to the Los Angeles Times, ACESHOWBIZ made reference to Presley’s blog. Therefore, if we still deem second-hand information from one professional news source to another as reliable, then there is less to doubt about the credibility of citizen journalists re-posting.

BBC News, 26 June, 2009. Written News Article. Singers Michael Jackson Dies at 50. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8119993.stm Retrieved: 23/10/11.

Conforming to more traditional forms of media, written news articles don’t differ greatly from today’s use of blogs. The shift in the past two decades, from printed media to online media has meant a slight change in its style, however, it’s use of now combining different mediums such as video, pictures, text and hyperlinks, into one article has a allowed for consumers to have greater access to supporting information. In the article by BBC News, on the 26^th June, 2009, the publishers clearly support their information with backed up sources such as live news reports and links to other reports. This immediately increases their credibility. Live coverage is an advantage that news sites have over citizen journalists as they are fed the information first had and have the equipment available to stream such footage.