Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives

In Chapter 1, Allan sets the scene for the book’s discussion by exploring what counts as “citizen journalism” from varied historical perspectives. Beginning with a brief overview of the emergence of the internet as a “new news medium,” he proceeds to examine several crises where the reporting of ordinary citizens made a vitally important contribution. Examples include natural disasters (such as earthquakes and hurricanes), political scandal, and the tragedies of terrorism, conflict, and war, among others. Allan’s aim is to discern the emergent ecology of citizen journalism as it has been negotiated through the exigencies of crisis reporting.

Author: Stuart Allan