Encountering the name

Encountering the name
For Article: The 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism
Posted by Jane Abao 5/17/2006 2:36:28 AM

The first time I found myself in iTalknews.com mixing with would-be journalists who do not even know how to construct headlines, much more just blabber about their feelings regarding some events, I said to myself, “Yuck! Why did I have to come here? People don’t even know how to write!” I began editing their outputs and I felt that by doing so, I was also contributing to their attempts at getting published. Much of these were captions of pictures from developing countries and they had a lot to tell. I also found myself wanting to have something published that would never see print in my own country. I am able to do it in iTalknews.com without fear of reprisal. From here, I began to realize the significance of citizen journalism. Before I came to iTalk.com, however, I didn’t know what to call it until I read Poynter’s piece.

I support Citizen Journalism. I am also with those who think formal journalism has its strait-jacket becoming too tight for modern journalism. May I add this: In a country where there are structures that do not permit the voice of some sectors, Citizen Journalism comes in handy – especially in cyberspace.