Some of these journalists are not like the other ones

It appears that there is no longer a distinction of power between the ability of journalists and non journalists when it comes to publication. In July 2005 the BBC established a space for ‘user-generated content’. So what is this UGC? Essentially it is the name given to the information that the public provides media organisations. Would you like an example? Well, after the 2004

Boxing Day tsunami the BBC recieved 25,000 emails from the public and some of these emails would have been the basis for certian media reports.

Non journalists who submit potential news worthy content to media organisations have been coined either ‘citizen journalists’ or ‘participatory journalists’. The boundaries between who is qualified to present a news item are becoming more and more blurred each day, especially with the popularity of blogs and news available on the internet. A man called Steve Safran has a bit to say about user-generated content and its value. Safran loathes the term ‘citizen journalist’ because (in his own words) the term is “self-congratulatory and, frankly, a little smug” (p. 21).
No matter what happens in the future with regards to the user- generated content that seems to be flooded news rooms around the world, journalism cannot depend on one person. True journalism not only requires information, it requires a support structure, editing and a challenge of assumptions.

Non journalists may be invited to submit information, but... not every thing (thankfully) will be used


Source: Safran, S. ‘How Participatory Journalism Works’, in Nieman Reports, vol. 59, no. 2, winter 2005.