Citizen journalism: the next “in” thing?

Citizen journalism: the next “in” thing?
Author: n.d. a.k.a. nestor / slick master
08/09/2011, 09:11 a.m.

As writing this topic, I remembered one of my classmate’s thesis regarding a television network’s flagship newscast’s segment which caters about citizens that can deliver news in their own respective communities.

If you noticed the media here in the country, there is a single network newscast (or actually, few) that has an interactive portion to its audience, either thru the modern means of communication and that includes, text messaging, electronic mail an even via social networking sites.

Since Philippines was mostly recognized as the texting capital and social networking capital of the world, news all over media organizations had used the said mediums to take advantage for the network’s massive purposes such as ratings, etc. and I think there’s nothing wrong in the part of those companies. I mean, as news evolves under tabloidization before, interactivity had took place to catch up with the people whom used internet for a lot of public-related tasks even if it’s slowly killing TV as video replays can be made available via YouTube.

In ABS-CBN, Bayan Mo Ipatrol mo was the program that triggered the trend of citizen journalism in this country. It was launched as the network’s news and current affairs’ election campaign Boto Mo Ipatrol Mo in 2007 and was even uitilized in 2010 where netizens can send photos, or videos that contain the news on their community during the election’s campaign and the event itself then. From there, it was evolved to its current title showcasing the people’s part of contributing in the news organization. It was aired then on the network’s flagship newscast TV Patrol every weeknight at 6:30 p.m.

From there, some few companies followed then. GMA 7 launched You Scoop and used to featured on 24 Oras at the same time, while TV5 developed a segment thru social networking which as called Aksyon Journalismo where people can give takes on issues and that is more modernized than the usual text lines aired at either morning programs of the different networks. ABS-CBN’s Bandila joined the trend then and both with Aksyon Journalismo, they were aired by late nights.

Now if you asked me about this, I think it’s a part of the evolving world through technology. I mean, gone are the trend of straight news programs, turning English into tagalized ones, with more different segments, and shorter ones airing. Since the masses were mostly the large part of the present audience share in the metropolitan, I think the media is turning things around to at least help them get educated and be aware on the latest happenings all over the country and even all over the world. News nowadays comes in package, which gives anchors some bits of commentary in their part. Though that somehow can be the downside of watching it if you’re a strictly-news watcher. (But everything that they’ll give though must be in balance. Otherwise they have to express that thru editorial programming whether thru print or broadcast or even at the wired.)

The only constant thing in this world is thru change. So expect the trend to last long but eventually grind out or even blossomed further.

© 2011 september twenty-eight productions.