The research paper ‘ICT and Citizen Journalism: A Study of CNN-IBN Initiative’ has been presented by PhD scholar Rabia Noor at 2-day National Seminar on ‘Emerging Frontiers of Digital Libraries: Digitization for Cultural Heritage, Knowledge Dissemination and Future Creation’ held on November 5-6, 2012 at University of Kashmir, Srinagar.

1. ICT and Citizen
Journalism:
A Study of CNN-IBN
Initiative
RABIA NOOR
Ph.D SCHOLAR
MEDIA EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTRE
UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR
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2. Information & Communication
Technology (ICT)
 Communication devices/ applications
 Radio, Television, Internet, Cellular
Phones, Satellite Systems, etc
 Services and applications associated with
the above
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3. Citizen Journalism
 CJ owes its birth to ICT
 Cellular phones, digital
cameras, Internet, blogging gave rise to
CJ
 CJ enables ordinary people to become
journalists
 CJs are audiences, viewers or readers
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4. Shayne Bowman & Chris Willis
“Citizen Journalism is the act of
non-professionals, playing an
active role in the process of
collecting, reporting, analyzing
and disseminating news and
information”
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5. CNN-IBN’s CJ Initiative
 CNN-IBN initiated Television Citizen
Journalism in India in 2005
 ‘The Citizen Journalist Show: Be the Change’
started in 2007
 Citizen Journalist Awards introduced in 2007
 Show bagged News Television Award 2012
endorsed by Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting, GoI
 Sister concern, IBN-7, too started its show
‘Citizen Journalist’
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6. Rajdeep Sardesai,
Editor-in-chief, CNN-IBN
“Citizen journalism not only
engages the viewers and
encourages them to be
proactive, but also transforms
news into an interactive and
multilateral process”
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7. Objectives
1.
• Role of CJ in fostering
people’s voice
2.
• Nature of updates and
dominant themes
3.
• If CJs cover news missed
by mainstream media
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8. Sample
Cj.ibnlive
 CJ website of CNN-IBN
 Showcasing CJ since 2007
 Among most popular CJ websites in India
 Content undergoes gatekeeping
 ‘Community guidelines’ for the selection
of content
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9. Methodology
Content Analysis
 Pictures and videos on Cj.ibnlive
 Nature of updates and issues raised
 Trends and priorities
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10. Reference Period
January 1, 2010 to
December 31, 2011
2 years:
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11. Analysis of CJ updates
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 4
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
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12. Dominant Themes
 238 CJ updates, 21 categories
 52 highlighted official negligence
 24 revealed law violation
 21 against corruption
 17 covered accidents
 16 revealed lack of civic
amenities
 Only 6 updates on politics
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13. Conclusion
 CJs highlight issues confronting them
more than those that often hog the
headlines in mainstream media
 They expose official negligence and lack
of civic amenities in their vicinity than
political drama elsewhere
 They highlight the issues that are often
missed by mainstream media
 CJ can bring change for better
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14. DDA official taking bribe from a
college student
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15. 15

16. Law Violation by Law Enforcers
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17. Rules are for fools
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18. It happens only in India
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19. Children selling tobacco products
at Kanpur railway station
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20. A sawmill encroaches a footpath
in Mumbai 20

21. Garbage dump in a residential
area at Ram Nagar, Chennai 21

22. Unhygienic residential area at
Goregaun
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23. Heaps of garbage at a railway
station in Mumbai
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24. Damaged roads at
Vidarbha, Maharashtra
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25. Hospital premises in pathetic
condition 25

26. Garbage dumped in Green Belt
area at Sonepat 26

27. State of Wildlife in Chennai
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28. Official Negligence:
Wastage of Power in Broad
Daylight 28

29. Chaos at RTO, Pune
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30. Encroachment: Hoarding of a pvt.
company on Delhi-Noida Highway
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31. CJ Impact: Encroachment at
Mumbai’s Byculla Station removed
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32. Recommendations
 Established news organisations
should take up CJ initiatives on the
lines of CNN-IBN
 Should entertain original and
newsworthy submissions from CJs
 Such initiatives will help people
highlight genuine issues, missed by
the mainstream media
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33. Thank you
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