CITIZEN JOURNALISM: A STUDY OF NEW FORM OF NEWS MEDIA REPORTING

This paper explores the rise of participatory journalism as a new phase of media-based technology and its position in the journalism field. As a new media form, citizen journalism appeared with a lot of attraction supported by high technology that enables audiences to get fast information as well as flexibility in accessing it. It is examined by comparing citizen journalists with professional journalists in their way of gathering and reporting news. Apart from the benefits, the citizen journalists particularly those who are considered as bloggers are sometimes challenged in providing accurate and objective information without being fully influenced by their thought. It is important to note that the collaboration between the citizen and the professional journalists is very essential to maintain the news quality they produce. Bloggers who work alone and provide information just based on what they are thinking, without having any research, should be considered as a separate term from other online reporters who work based on journalism principles. Keywords: Citizen Journalism; Traditional media; News value; Internet; Technology.