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There has been another narrative that "citizen journalists" would either disrupt the industry, or replace the roles of journalists whose industry had been disru

There has been another narrative that "citizen journalists" would either disrupt the industry, or replace the roles of journalists whose industry had been disrupted. This has come with mixed results for everyday journalism. In the case of investigative journalism, it just doesn't seem to be happening. This level of depth in journalism requires time and skill. The choice seems to either work a full time job to supplement this hobby and having zero time for other things in life, or living without financial security. There is the other risk that this type of journalism tends to create enemies which can hurt job security. It can also hurt your career if you are seen as someone who isn't able to keep a secret. Individuals also expose themselves to the risks of libel and slander lawsuits. Most people who can pull off journalism like this are usually going to be capable of pursuing a dozen other more lucrative and less stressful careers.

ghaff 12y ago
>In the case of investigative journalism, it just doesn't seem to be happening. And what's covered is very uneven. Apple burps. The same (often thinly or non-existently sourced) story will appear in thousands of places. On the other hand, the largely rural town that I live in only has a newspaper to the degree that something is of sufficient note to make it into the chain local news operation of an adjacent larger town. We actually had a good local newspaper for a while that was basically a labor of love but the publisher became ill and it shut down. But now no one consistently covers town hall, board of selectman, etc. meetings.
anigbrowl 12y ago
There has been another narrative that "citizen journalists" would either disrupt the industry, or replace the roles of journalists whose industry had been disrupted. Yeah, I think the results are in on that one. It turns out that the people who are most motivated to work for peanuts to establish 'the truth' are often also the most partisan on any given issue and with the least commitment to journalistic neutrality. The websites that solicit content creation from the readership tend towards becoming echo chambers.

ghaff 12y ago

>In the case of investigative journalism, it just doesn't seem to be happening. And what's covered is very uneven. Apple burps. The same (often thinly or non-existently sourced) story will appear in thousands of places. On the other hand, the largely rural town that I live in only has a newspaper to the degree that something is of sufficient note to make it into the chain local news operation of an adjacent larger town. We actually had a good local newspaper for a while that was basically a labor of love but the publisher became ill and it shut down. But now no one consistently covers town hall, board of selectman, etc. meetings.

anigbrowl 12y ago

There has been another narrative that "citizen journalists" would either disrupt the industry, or replace the roles of journalists whose industry had been disrupted. Yeah, I think the results are in on that one. It turns out that the people who are most motivated to work for peanuts to establish 'the truth' are often also the most partisan on any given issue and with the least commitment to journalistic neutrality. The websites that solicit content creation from the readership tend towards becoming echo chambers.