iTalkNews.com as Blackboard

For Article: Which J-Schools Are Really Keeping Pace with Online Media?
Posted by Jane Abao 2/6/2007 9:24:50 PM

Learning and teaching journalism does not necessarily mean there has to be a building and a campus that you can see first. My student editors go online as an adjunct to our face-to-face weekly classes. I hold classes online without syllabus, guided by the stigmergy concept where the next thing that happens is directed by our mix of environment, materials, and activity. This at least respects the ideals of Citizen Journalism where any fears of teacher structures might destroy pristine elements from the citizen input. As they say, in Citizen Journalism, as is, where is. However, I still believe Citizen Journalism is not equivalent to ignorance and any journalist should at least know why he is writing, for what and for whom. When these questions arise, then there is a need to know some principles of writing.

As to conversational media, this may be seen from the point of view of the ever necessary dialogue between writer and reader. It is not enough to just write or post and that’s the end of it. Any communication system needs a feedback component in order to be complete.

What mostly runs in my online trainings is the theory of transactional distance where dialogue tries to bridge the gap between me and my students. Face to face, these students would not have the time, the courage, and the readiness to talk, but online, I find that they are more efficient in interacting. Their work posted for critiquing online, the experience is rewarding for both us. But what is encouraging is their chance to hone their reasoning skills by purposely commenting intelligently on news and editorials posted for the day on the website and then I rate how well they place their arguments. They have a quota of 5 comments per day, which means they have to analyze at least 5 news and editorials, plus post their own work which I check for mechanics and content, and which their peers also critique.

Where is our school? We use iTalkNews as our blackboard.

Citizen Journalists: What to do with them?

For Article: Wikipedia Founder Lukewarm on Citizen Journalism?
Posted by Jane Abao 11/17/2006 12:16:18 AM

There are many angles from where citizen journalism can be looked at. There are the writers or reporters who can write but do not have access to traditional news outlets unless they pay, therefore blog their stories or send them to citizen journalism sites or communities. With this kind of people, you do not have problems about content treatment that Jimmy Wales is up against. They know their structure. They know about target readership and about communication effects.

Definitely, we don’t have to pigeonhole citizen journalists as of one mould - as lesser individuals below the quality of traditional reporters

I am with iTalkNews.com, a Citizen Journalism site where I do most of the editing. I find encouragement that some of reporters (mostly the Indians) do have some social consciousness that I do not find in traditional reporters. Even their pictures show that they are carefully taken to project social relevance, and that these pictures have messages to tell, be it indicating a rural development, calling for change, showcasing government neglect, depicting social evils, suggesting a solution, or merely projecting truth in what obtains in society. Some of these action-oriented stances are also found in some stories submitted. What they do is worth encouraging.

The problem is that in this site - as in other sites - there are so-called reporters who take advantage and write about their products [advertisements] dressed as news. And well too often, the site’s personality as citizen journalism vehicle is watered down. There is no way to control this syndrome but to touch their conscience through editorials if they have conscience at all.

I think Jimmy Wales’ over-all impression comes from the droves of unschooled citizen journalists flooding the media outlets nowadays. It does not mean that these people are useless. They can be directed. It only takes some people - with commitment -to help them out.

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.