Traditional journalists refer to those professionals who have training and knowledge in journalism to carry out specific duties. Citizen journalists do not have professional training in this sphere but write stories on new media issues (Pearce, 2020). Traditional journalists are characterized by observing media ethics and legal consideration concerns, while citizen journalists lack training and orientation on media ethics, norms, and legal requirements. While traditional journalists focus on the outside looking in, citizen journalists are for the inside looking out. Citizen journalists allow society to report and express their issues, while traditional journalists play the role of informing, educating, and holding people and authorities accountable (Fisher, 2018). Another differene is that they do not maintain the same standards regarding newsgathering techniques and credibility. This is because traditional journalists have acquired training and basic knowledge of journalism, while citizen journalists lack training and knowledge of professional journalism.
Citizen journalism has changed the news industry in various ways over the last decade. It has given rise to independent online journalism due to the expansion and availability of media outputs with market and technology advancements. Blogging is the modern generation of citizen journalists, with more than 12 million American adults writing their blogs and more than 60-million-WordPress sites worldwide (Hanusch, 2017). They challenge the mainstream news media by opening a huge opportunity to access news and information, especially in countries where mainstream media is restricted. Citizen journalists play a significant role in highlighting and correcting perceived system biases created by mainstream media. They inform society by expressing their stories, while traditional print journalists focus on maintaining objectivity and checking on a government official.
References
Fisher, C. (2018). News sources and journalist/source interaction. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication.
Hanusch, F. (2017). Journalistic roles and everyday life: An empirical account of lifestyle journalists’ professional views.”. Journalism Studies, 193-211.
Pearce, S. C. (2020). Social media as public journalism? Protest reporting in the digital era. Sociology Compass, 14(21),4-14.