There is some question as to which of these two terms best represents journalism as it is being practiced on the Web: New Journalism or Citizen Journalism?
New Journalism is actually not a new term, having emerged several decades ago to describe a new way of writing fiction. Author Tom Wolfe is credited with coining the term, using it in reference to the new narrative style practiced by such writers as Truman Capote, as he did in his landmark novel In Cold Blood. Simply defined, New Journalism is a narrative, and sometimes fictional elaboration of factual events. In Capote’s case, his vivid retelling of the Clutter family murders in rural Kansas.
Now here’s where some confusion sets in. New Journalism is also the term often used to describe the way writers use the Internet to distribute news and information. Blogging is the practice most often cited when defining New Journalism. In addition to blogs there also is SMS, mobile devices, instant messaging – all means of digitally delivering news and/or information. But, is this really journalism?
This debate has raged for some time now, with no generally accepted resolution. Fundamentally, the issue is where does the news end and opinion begin? And rightly so, as there certainly is no place for personal agendas in the delivery of what traditionally at least has been called “news.”
That brings us to Citizen Journalism – a kind of specialized version of New Journalism. Citizen Journalism, generally speaking, is first-person reportage done by so-called “real people”, that is to say, regular Joes and Janes who are not journalists either by training or profession.
An example of Citizen Journalism would be a blog post written in the first person by someone who is witness to a spot news event such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, or the London subway terror bombing. This reportorial style is especially compelling because of its “eyewitness to history” nature. Indeed, many such examples emerged within minutes of both of the aforementioned incidents.
For me, this seismic change is especially exciting, knowing that the tools now exist for people to share, instantaneously, important stories and events. Of course, what’s missing from the picture is any sort of filtering by news editors or producers, leaving open the very real prospect of inaccurate information being disbursed globally, either accidentally or purposefully.
Much more can and has been written about this subject, the above observations having only scratched the surface. As the Next News blog develops, these two themes and other New Media issues will be parsed and re-parsed – rinse and repeat. I welcome your thoughts about this or any other related subject, and I encourage you to share your opinions via the post “comments” tool.
In the meantime, I’ll continue aggregating news and commentary about what I call Immersive Journalism. More on that subject in the days ahead.
