If it’s disturbing, film it!
Tonight, I just watched the Ted Talk of Paul Lewis (2011) narrating the role of new media, citizen journalism and how he utilized social media to investigate two murders. He also discussed the transparency level and accountability that this new media has to offer in public encounters.
After watching his talk, I am reminded that truly, citizen journalism is the realization that anyone can record history and that anyone can be a witness to reality. Below then are some of my key takeaways on what I have watched.
1. Citizen Journalism is accepting that media cannot know everything and it is a license to allow public to be an extension of media’s eyes and ears. This means that the general public are not only passive consumers of news but they are also co-producers of it through technology. As a future journalist someday, this serves as a reminder for me to always consider the perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of the public when it comes to investigating the facts of a case or story because not all the time, journalists are available to cover everything. It is also a realization that maybe the missing information needed to deeply analyze a certain context cannot be found on written or recorded videos the government or media organizations have because maybe that information is hidden on an ordinary citizen’s mobile phone or digital camera serving as the primary source of everything that has happened. This takeaway is also a point for us to see that media, as well as the government, are both not all-seeing which means that up until now, their scope of power, capability, and authority is limited and that the greatest power when it comes to knowledge of information lies to the hands, ears, and eyes of the public. There is more to know.
2. Citizen journalism although questions the decision of those in power is still subject to accountability and transparency. In simpler words, content made by citizen journalism is so difficult to verify. This only means that despite the advantages and remarkable contribution of citizen journalism in society, we cannot deny the fact that its dangers when left unaddressed are alarming. Like what Lewis stated, the content produced in citizen journalism is a social magnet which means that it can be easily transferred, duplicated, and manipulated by anyone who wishes to use it whether for personal or social gain. Since the space, we have on the Internet seems to be overwhelming and unlimited, the chances for these types of content to be modified to support a distorted agenda by an unknown person is very high. And not everyone in society is Media and Information literate which brings us to a realization that information if not delivered through the right channel or medium has the tendency to disrupt social order and result consequently in conflicts instead of understanding and unity.
3. Citizen Journalism broadens the boundaries of what is possible. I like here how Lewis stated it with conviction. It speaks volume. It only tells us that media can only cover a fragment of reality not necessarily the totality of it because that would be difficult however it does not mean that it is impossible. Hence, Citizen Journalism was born for this reason — to at least make the recording of reality more holistic and more critical. Lewis ended it by challenging us to be a witness always to disturbing events that seem to be problematic, or a representation of injustice or anything that concerns us. And anything that involves witnessing, recording and sharing is journalism. And we can do that.
It is so good to end this night watching the talk of Paul Lewis. It inspired me not only to be a good journalist someday but also to be a critical and logical member of the general public that is always after the welfare of anyone.
And I end it by saying that journalism is easy only if we bear true to what we see and we are free and willing to share it and serve it as a strong testimony that validates the existence of a certain story.
REFERENCE:
Lewis, P. (2011, May 15). Citizen journalism | Paul Lewis | TEDxThessaloniki. Retrieved January 21, 2021, from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9APO9_yNbcg
