Discussion about impacts of Citizen and Social Journalism to society

 Ok, another day, a new blog. Seems like a terrible way of an introduction. So um, let me get this straight. I have little knowledge of this topic. I did not read any learning materials. I did not research anything related to this topic. Most of these things discussed are mostly opinions and may contain bias. Mmm hmm, I think I got that covered so I'll start.

Citizen Journalism. What is it? According to Wikipedia, (If you think Wikipedia contains non-reliable information then don't read it) citizen journalism is known for many things, it's called collaborative media, participatory, democratic, guerilla, or street journalism. It bases among public citizens about "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information." According to Britannica, it is a type of journalism that's conducted by non-professional journalists who disseminate information using different types of social media. I guess the word "disseminate" which means "to spread information" is common in this type of journalism. It feels similar to different types of media because of its meaning and ways of delivering details and information to a vast audience. This type of journalism is conducted by non-professional journalists which means anyone can do this. This can be good practice for people who are new to journalism.

If Citizen Journalism is for non-professionals then Social Journalism is for experienced journalists. According to Wikipedia, again, social journalism is a media model consisting of professional journalism, contributor and reading content where the format relies on community involvement, audience engagement, social newsgathering, relationship gathering, verification, and data analysis. According to Deron Dalton, a social journalist about Black Lives Matter, social journalism takes some of its inspiration from civic to public journalism that is also known for engaging the public to create public debates and integrating journalism into the democratic process. Sounds a little bit meticulous, knowing it's one of the best ways to help meet people and bridge relationships to the community.

Now its impacts on the society. These 2 types of journalism have a major impact on society because of their benefits regarding information. It may concern the privacy of the person's identity when discussing a topic that's somewhat related to his/her life or committed actions. Social journalism is fine at handling details because it values ethics and follows standards. I could not say the same on citizen journalism, however. Since people aren't professionals in citizen journalism, the contents of its information can be misleading or false. Citizen journalists are prone to violate journalist ethic codes for handling sensitive information. It may be a spicy topic like terrorism or other offensive topics that are best handled by professionals. Knowing more about these disadvantages can help create a better understanding of managing the certain topic assigned. For me, the only benefit of journalism to society is the purpose to provide citizens with credible information and show the best possible decisions to a better person's lives, its communities, societies, and government. Better to keep private information to yourself. (I wonder how many times I could type the word information in this single paragraph)