Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives (1) (Global Crises and the Media) - Softcover

"When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they now have in their possession to inform one another, `that's' citizen journalism. It is a global phenomenon because the means for doing it have been distributed to the population at large. Therefore our ideas about it have to be global, too. And we cannot afford to be sentimental about citizens or dismissive of what professionals do. Only a book like this can get that tough-minded conversation going the right way, which is the open way. In a word, the editors have succeeded." (Jay Rosen, Department of Journalism, New York University) "A wonderful sampling of recent cases with a truly global scope; a happy combination of new stories and the top scholars in online journalism. Going beyond theory, this volume demonstrates the variety and impact of reporting by the people, for the people." (Mindy McAdams, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida) "When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they now have in their possession to inform one another, `that's' citizen journalism. It is a global phenomenon because the means for doing it have been distributed to the population at large. Therefore our ideas about it have to be global, too. And we cannot afford to be sentimental about citizens or dismissive of what professionals do. Only a book like this can get that tough-minded conversation going the right way, which is the open way. In a word, the editors have succeeded." (Jay Rosen, Department of Journalism, New York University) "A wonderful sampling of recent cases with a truly global scope; a happy combination of new stories and the top scholars in online journalism. Going beyond theory, this volume demonstrates the variety and impact of reporting by the people, for the people." (Mindy McAdams, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida)

Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives examines the spontaneous actions of ordinary people, caught up in extraordinary events, who felt compelled to adopt the role of a news reporter. This collection of twenty-one original, thought-provoking chapters investigates citizen journalism in the West, including the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia, as well as its development in a variety of other national contexts around the globe, including Brazil, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Palestine, South Korea, Vietnam, and even Antarctica. It engages with several of the most significant topics for this important area of inquiry from fresh, challenging perspectives. Its aim is to assess the contribution of citizen journalism to crisis reporting, and to encourage new forms of dialogue and debate about how it may be improved in future.