Citizen Journalism

 Citizen Journalism in the Classroom

    Citizen journalism defined by Oxford as "the collection, dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by means of the internet." plays an increasing role in the classroom in 2023. The conversation around citizen journalism is ever evolving. With the rise of the internet and false information spreading like a California wildfire, it's more important than ever before that the students of today have the skills for the needs of tomorrow.

    

    Some of the pros of teaching citizen journalism include building those critical thinking skills for students. While fake news and misinformation spreads across the internet, it's important that students learn and practice their own fact finding and information. This way, they can look through the "mind" of a journalist and see how do people come up with stories? Furthermore, this can help build up critical thinking skills and build media literacy. Some cons include journalism is a tricky subject to teach, and citizen journalism some critics have claimed lower legitimacy of more formal media outlets like the New York Times or Washington Post. These critics claim that with more and more people posting blogs, etc to the internet, it ruins journalistic reputation that many people receive university degrees specifically for. 

    In the classroom, citizen journalism is a great way to build media fluency and literacy. It's also a topic that's timely and relevant. As public schools face greater scrutiny to prepare all students for the modern world, citizen journalism teaches relevant skills and preparation regardless of post high school plans for students. In this way, citizen journalism is an equitable teaching practice that all students can take and enjoy. Another advantage is teaching students the CRAAP (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, purpose) test when evaluating sources. This is a great way to get students thinking about sources and what they read on their phones. Some of the challenges of teaching citizen journalism include incorporating it into units, or making the time for it. With strict content standards and ideas varying by the state, it can be hard to find the ability to make citizen journalism work happen in the classroom when there are so many other concepts that must be taught. With that being said, citizen journalism can package nicely within many social studies units by aiding in research projects and current events tie ins. Creative teachers should have no problem finding time to try this out in the classroom.