For or against citizen journalism?
themediaslut came across a column from Grace Chng, for Digital Life, who looked at the pros and cons of citizen journalism.
"So,
yes, blogs are a good source of information. They act as the media’s
ears. They provide a glimpse into what people are thinking, reading and
doing", wrote Chng.
"But they are also subjective and are often filled with inaccuracies.At best, they are well-argued opinions."
"On the other hand, mainstream media have actual links to the newsmakers and can verify their information.
"They also have checks and balances in place to prevent unsubstantiated or incorrect information from being published.
"The
mainstream media will plough, among other sources, blogs for news
leads, and they will remain the backbone of news reporting."
themediaslut wonders if Chng was for or against citizen journalism?
It would be ironic though if she was against as Digital Life has just teamed up with Nokia to run , get this, A CITIZEN REPORTER contest.
well it’s just so much fluff, once u read the rules.
it’s a feel-good phonecam pics contest - much like the one that nokia had during the Starlight cinema.
(except in starlight the mmses were all faked or were prepared in advance, all me n my frens’ attempts n yours iirc were unsent — a fren called the number and the line was OFF)
anyway it’s ok to earn such easy mktg money, I say.
in fact it reinforces grace’s views that this method of reporting is trivial.
nothing like low-quality, cheesy snaps of kids to make everything feel ok once more… :D
Geme ‘inaccurate’ citizen journalism over the ‘whistle-blowing, gerrymandering and nepotic’ Singaporean government anyday…
Bloggin, restrictions or not…is the future of jounalism…and there’s not damn thing Bush, PAP, KGB or some right-handed political party could do anythin about…