Citizen journalists and bloggers: stealing from the rich to give to the poor?

There was a time, long ago, when newspapers reigned supreme.

A plentiful supply of classified advertising revenue meant newspaper profits ran like rivers of gold.

None enjoyed the splendour of these prosperous times quite like the evil king Murdoch, whose sovereignty dared not be questioned in the kingdom of media.

Until the citizen journalist and their band of merrie bloggers arrived…

The media landscape and the nature of journalism is changing.

New online platforms and digital participatory culture is having unprecedented effects on the way news is produced and consumed.

This shift to ‘digital’ is reinforced by an acceleration in ecommerce due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, our lives are now taking place online and so too is journalism.

Some argue notions of journalism are intrinsically linked with democracy, and therefore the emergence of citizen journalists and bloggers is simply a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Yes, diversity of opinion is important.

However, the shift to ‘digital’ has left media outlets unable to monetise their greatest commodity.

Because, “why pay for news when you can get it for free” right?

Wrong.

With a platform and opinion comes a sense of responsibility to share information ethically.

Some lines should not be crossed, and the journalism profession knows this.

Unfortunately, some (not all) citizen journalists and bloggers do not.

So, are citizen journalists and bloggers stealing from the rich to give to the poor?

No. The media landscape and media economy has changed.

But the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that we should be prepared to pay for accuracy, integrity and responsible news reporting.

Because there is value in the journalism profession.