Citizen Journalism Dr Axel Bruns KCB201 Virtual Cultures [email_address]

1999 “Battle of Seattle” Emergence of Indymedia : World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle, 1999 large ‘alternative globalisation’ protests by broad coalition of activists fear that mainstream media (MSM) would focus only on riots and unrest development of DIY journalism projects – “become the media” established as Independent Media Center (IMC, Indymedia ) based on software built for activist group in Sydney key features: DIY media content: stories, images, video sourced from activists open publishing: all stories made available immediately public discussion: strong role for comments, adding further information

Emergence of Indymedia :

World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle, 1999

large ‘alternative globalisation’ protests by broad coalition of activists

fear that mainstream media (MSM) would focus only on riots and unrest

development of DIY journalism projects – “become the media”

established as Independent Media Center (IMC, Indymedia )

based on software built for activist group in Sydney

key features:

DIY media content: stories, images, video sourced from activists

open publishing: all stories made available immediately

public discussion: strong role for comments, adding further information

Citizen Journalism Part of a longer trend: hand-printed and photocopied pamphlets and newsletters as old as the printing press itself but boosted by simplicity and reach of online publishing Emergence of key citizen journalism sites: Indymedia – political activism, alternative globalisation Slashdot – technology news, privacy, governance, legal issues Kuro5hin , Plastic – politics and Zeitgeist OhmyNews – South Korean politics, now also International and Japan Wikipedia and Wikinews – general news (but problems with the latter) Current.tv – video news and documentaries news blogs – more or less consistent news coverage and discussion

Part of a longer trend:

hand-printed and photocopied pamphlets and newsletters

as old as the printing press itself

but boosted by simplicity and reach of online publishing

Emergence of key citizen journalism sites:

Indymedia – political activism, alternative globalisation

Slashdot – technology news, privacy, governance, legal issues

Kuro5hin , Plastic – politics and Zeitgeist

OhmyNews – South Korean politics, now also International and Japan

Wikipedia and Wikinews – general news (but problems with the latter)

Current.tv – video news and documentaries

news blogs – more or less consistent news coverage and discussion

Produsing the News? Traditional news process: gatekeeping (from Bruns, Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production , 2005)

Traditional news process: gatekeeping

(from Bruns, Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production , 2005)

Gatewatching Citizen journalism news process: gatewatching content generated by ‘average’ users, not professional journalists and editors CJs watching the output gates of news publications and other sources, in order to identify important material as it becomes available limited editorial oversight: very basic checking of stories (e.g. Slashdot ), or immediate posting for commentary, rating, and voting by wider community repurposing, recombining, recontextualising, reinterpreting mainstream news discussing, debating, deliberating on the news continuous update of stories after publication – through comments or revisions collaborative content creation model, harnessing community knowledge providing multiperspectival insight and commentary acting as a corrective to the mainstream

Citizen journalism news process: gatewatching

content generated by ‘average’ users, not professional journalists and editors

CJs watching the output gates of news publications and other sources, in order to identify important material as it becomes available

limited editorial oversight:

very basic checking of stories (e.g. Slashdot ), or

immediate posting for commentary, rating, and voting by wider community

repurposing, recombining, recontextualising, reinterpreting mainstream news

discussing, debating, deliberating on the news

continuous update of stories after publication – through comments or revisions

collaborative content creation model, harnessing community knowledge

providing multiperspectival insight and commentary

acting as a corrective to the mainstream

News Produsage Gatewatcher news process (adapted from Bruns, Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production , 2005) Variations on the process are possible

Gatewatcher news process

(adapted from Bruns, Gatewatching: Collaborative Online News Production , 2005)

Variations on the process are possible

Open Source Journalism Strong similarities between citizen journalism and open source: opening out production process to all participants belief that cream will rise to the top – through ‘power of eyeballs’ reconceptualisation and acceptance of content as always unfinished, constantly updated application of alternative licencing schemes to enable flexible update and distribution of products But need for effective systems and methodologies: Indymedia problem: lack of open editing tools to enable collaborative quality control Wikinews problem: failure to offer space for debate and deliberation to facilitate the development and update of stories

Strong similarities between citizen journalism and open source:

opening out production process to all participants

belief that cream will rise to the top – through ‘power of eyeballs’

reconceptualisation and acceptance of content as always unfinished, constantly updated

application of alternative licencing schemes to enable flexible update and distribution of products

But need for effective systems and methodologies:

Indymedia problem: lack of open editing tools to enable collaborative quality control

Wikinews problem: failure to offer space for debate and deliberation to facilitate the development and update of stories

Citizen Journalism as Produsage Citizen journalism, open source, and others are examples of produsage : Open Participation, Communal Evaluation – the community as a whole, if sufficiently large and varied, can contribute more than a closed team of producers, however qualified Fluid Heterarchy, Ad Hoc Meritocracy – produsers participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; this changes as the produsage project proceeds Unfinished Artefacts, Continuing Process – content artefacts in produsage projects are continually under development, and therefore always unfinished; their development follows evolutionary, iterative, palimpsestic paths Common Property, Individual Rewards – contributors permit (non-commercial) community use and adaptation of their intellectual property, and are rewarded by the status capital gained through this process

Citizen journalism, open source, and others are examples of produsage :

Open Participation, Communal Evaluation – the community as a whole, if sufficiently large and varied, can contribute more than a closed team of producers, however qualified

Fluid Heterarchy, Ad Hoc Meritocracy – produsers participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; this changes as the produsage project proceeds

Unfinished Artefacts, Continuing Process – content artefacts in produsage projects are continually under development, and therefore always unfinished; their development follows evolutionary, iterative, palimpsestic paths

Common Property, Individual Rewards – contributors permit (non-commercial) community use and adaptation of their intellectual property, and are rewarded by the status capital gained through this process

Futures for Citizen Journalism Where to from here? variety of very well established news produsage models from Slashdot to OhmyNews further opportunities in using wiki-based systems increasing potential for audiovisual news – Current.tv etc. long-term economic sustainability remains a significant question how do news produsage sites meet their running costs? how do individuals become self-supporting news produsers? where does original content come from?

Where to from here?

variety of very well established news produsage models

from Slashdot to OhmyNews

further opportunities in using wiki-based systems

increasing potential for audiovisual news – Current.tv etc.

long-term economic sustainability remains a significant question

how do news produsage sites meet their running costs?

how do individuals become self-supporting news produsers?

where does original content come from?