KUCHING: The emergence of citizen journalism can be attributed to advancements in sophisticated technologies and accessibility to the online realm.
Assoc Prof Jaspal Kaur pointed to the lack of space for individuals to voice their concerns as a contributing factor to its emergence.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. One is when technology is evolving, the medium also evolves, which allows people the opportunity to have their say in certain issues.”
She said this to New Sarawak Tribune in regard to her talk on Rise of Online/Netizen Journalism and its Challenge to the Journalism/Media Industry during the Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC) 2024 at a hotel here on Sunday (May 26).
Jaspal, from Canterbury Christchurch University, UK, noted that there are three characteristics to how citizen journalism emerged in this age.
“The first one is the space. The space found on the internet, where it was blogs, and then later it was on social media platforms, or what we call content service providers.
“Nowadays, everyone has social media at hand such as WhatsApp or Telegram.
“Secondly, it’s because everyone wants to have a say in a conversation or about a certain issue, which is called national conversation. It is a sense of citizen empowerment,” she said.
When asked what’s the difference between a citizen journalist and professional journalist, Jaspal said it is tricky for people to tell them apart.
“Yes, I think this is the tricky part, because I think if you were to call someone a journalist, he or she or they have to be part of a media entity.
“So the thing gets grey when we say, how about if I am a trained journalist, but I’m not attached to a media group or a newspaper or an entity or an institution?
“Can I not be on my own and still be journalistic? So I use, for example, I set up a website and I use that as my platform.
“Does that mean I’m not a journalist because I don’t belong to a particular organisation? That’s one conundrum.”
Jaspal noted that they too have a role in disseminate information and that they can co-exist with professional journalists.
“They still have a role to play, and I don’t think the question is really about whether citizen journalists can take over professional journalists’ role.
“I don’t think it is anymore like that. I think you can co-exist.
“So that is why I feel we need to turn it on its head. We need the newspapers to take advantage of citizen journalism.”
