Search

The article discusses the founding of OffTheBus, a news web site covering the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign through citizen journalism, sponsored by the Huffington Post and the journalism school at New York University. Most notable for a report from citizen journalist Mayhill Fowler breaking news of a comment from Democratic candidate Barack Obama about the "bitterness" of rural conservative voters, OffTheBus sought to target the middle ground between professional journalists and everyday bloggers. The organization and reporting methods of OffTheBus are discussed as examples of the rise of "pro-am" journalism in the U.S.

This article examines the role of consumer journalism in the 21st century. While newspapers and some other media outlets have reduced their consumer reporting, he believes it is even more relevant than ever. He cites the rising popularity of the magazine "Consumer Reports." He is critical of the narrow focus of most mainstream business reporting. However, the internet, while disrupting the business of newspaper, is a powerful tool for consumer reporting. He cites several instances of blogs causing changes in corporate policy.

The article discusses the efforts of repressive governments to control the internet as a global outlet for news about their activities. The internet's effect on news gathering, in shifting it from professional journalists to average citizens via email, social networking web sites, text messaging, and other online technologies, is discussed. Also discussed are the technologies governments are using to try to control the flow of information over telecommunication networks. Examples are discussed from Iran, China, Burma, and elsewhere.

This article examines the nature of journalism in the internet era. The Internet has democratized the ability to express viewpoint and reach an audience, though some critics would contend without any set of standards or qualifications. However, the acceptance of bloggers continues, as many of them are gaining access to media events normally reserved for mainstream journalists. Ethics and standards are still a concern to many people such as Professor David Hazinski who feels much of online journalism is simply gossip.

The article discusses the relation between socio-economic class and online news consumption with a focus on these relations in the city of Modesto, California. Topics include statistical analysis of online social networking use, the impact of racial and ethic factors in the analysis, and the importance of owning digital technologies such as a smartphone and a computer to engage in citizen journalism.

This article presents the author's views on the growth of news blogs and the issue of whether successful bloggers should be paid for their work. Noting that the labor dispute between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers largely centers around compensation for works appearing on the Internet, he says they should.

The article discusses the increase in citizen journalism due to the rise of electronic news publications which are easier to comment on, according professor C. W. Anderson. Topics include the ways in which online journalism is more democratic, the use of algorithms to tailor news according to what readers are searching for online, as well as the online news outlet called Demand Media and the citizen journalism media outlet called Indymedia.