Citizen journalism gaining momentum

Online journalism offer different type of platform to further communicate citizen voices and actions for learning how to write news in a journalistic ways for internet publications, blogs, people centred news sites and other forms of Internet journalism. The Guardian Unlimited assistant editor Neil McIntosh, urges that:

"For many media executives, citizen journalism has taken on the characteristics of the Beast of Bodmin Moor. It's out there, the consensus is it has the capacity to be quite vicious if you cross its path but, so far, nobody's seen much of it. So all that's been done is to discuss, rather nervously, what might happen if it lurches out the mist."

It is understood globally and locally that this form of participatory journalism function best to recapture real or good journalism as part democratic practice rooted in and directly serves citizen' lives and interests.

According to CitizenJournalismAfrica.org-: "Citizen journalism is a concept that advances the idea of those consumers or everyday citizens taking a more active role in the news. It is often referred to as the new media and includes everything from passionate letters to the editor and comments on blogs and news sites, to bloggers scooping stories or exposing doctored or omitted facts from mainstream media reports. Citizen journalism points out bias by particular reporters or news outlets and attempts to give voice to both sides on an issue”.

In today' world, this form of journalistic practice reveal its comprehensive arm on community or citizen news and shared information online or rather in print form. It is most believed that this form of journalistic practice generate its content by users and readers. Citizen journalism reveals itself in text / blogs, storytelling digital, images, graphics, audio file, or video. The general thinking is that its feedback and discussion on issues put forward are received in the same way.

Bowman and Willis urged that "Citizen journalism movement is a bottom-up, emergent phenomenon in which there is little or no editorial oversight or formal journalistic work-flow dictating the decisions of a particular staff".

As for citizen journalism, shape has changed and it turns to focus more on blogging. Blogging is now viewed as the most used medium and a powerful, non-expensive tool for non-journalists to share stories and opinions. There are a number of news sites which are encouraging citizen around the world to comment on issues affacting their lives and society at large.

Jay Rosen, Professor of Journalism at New York University (NYU), offers up his definition of citizen journalism.

Journalistic objectivity revolves around reporting the news

The current state of debate on journalistic objectivity revolves mostly around reporting news. These debates revolves on news commentaries. Jacques Ellul (1973) reflects a standard view of why academics and social commentators argue for widespread use of propaganda in the history of post-World War II democracies which has been viewed as undermining freedom?

On the other hand, Sheryl Tuttle Ross points out that "standard model of propagandans like Herman and Chomsky do not help society to distinguish between political art that is propagandistic in intent and that which is not". Her argues point to the point that "traditional descriptions of propaganda show that “propaganda involves an intention to persuade, a socially significant group of people, on behalf of a political institution, organisation, or cause". Ross further argues for a founding condition of political art as propaganda because the media judge them to be “epistemically defective.”

South Africa's press enjoy more freedom now than any other period in its history, but lately attacks on the media by politicians, claiming bias, poor quality and demanding to be exempted from scrutiny have become deafening. The President of South Africa and leader of the ruling party the African National Congress (ANC), Mr. Jacob Zuma, sacked for alleged corruption, blamed the media in part for his troubles, urged William M. Gumede, former Deputy Editor of The Sowetan newspaper.

Perhaps the former Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll's view of American journalism applies to South Africa as well. He urges that "The very best public-service journalism is probably as good it's ever been, maybe better, but it's being done by fewer and fewer papers (and journalists)". However, the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), appears to be taking criticisms by politicians to heart. It often appears in awe of government. The broadcaster has launched an investigation into the claims, but its credibility has been seriously damaged, added Gumede.

It has often been said by many professionals that "journalism's role is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Sadly, too many media owners - many of whom have great power see the role of the media differently. They believe the role of the media is to comfort the comfortable and ignore the afflicted".

In World Bank circles, the main concerns of journalistic practice may be to find fault than the media in developing countries. The view here is that society need to look at the growing atmosphere taking place in the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, South Africa and the rest of the world.

This model of journalistic objectivity construes moral and political beliefs as extraneous noise that a reporter must work towards overcoming to cover the news as objectively as possible. In the words of William Gumede, "Journalists attempt to observe reality as it is. They want you to view everything through their eyes and writing, without their personal intervention (tough to do!).

Greatest challenge facing civil society in the global South

The greatest challenge facing civil society in southern Africa is viewed in the context of an existing vacuum in capacity, values, standards and mechanisms on electronic communication profiling or initiatives. The is a necessity for the creation and promotion of a legitimacy across regional civic space. This can be achieved through information sharing, the formation and support of a broadbased network, further development of concepts, tools and South-South exchanges, and collaboration with international and regional organisations working towards the establishment of a regional information and resource centre (knowledge hub) for civil society remain a crucial challenge in southern African hemisphere.

People of the South blog provide a platform to share experiences, challenges or success stories, and expand civic knowledge throughout the dissemination of information through the use of this blog. Being able to share such information amongst civil society results in human development, social development, environmetal development, economic empowerment through access to information and above all individual empowerment. By persuing an unbias open initiative agenda, the blog through its collection and analysis of regional news represent the perspective of regional news. The e-blogspace, as suggested, a regional civil society in perspective constituting an arena for and by third sector organisations.

The blog or rather online newsletter works towards opening civil society space to communicate through an online medium to analyse regional perspective and applying the formulation of a broader range of responsiveness through civic dialogue. The most valuable focus is to create a platform to enhance debate and lobbying for the adoption of civil society agenda holistically. This independent blogspace works in partnership with other like-minded non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in filling the gaps such as the Coalition of Southern Africa NGOs , Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT), Media Institute of Southern Africa, Botswana Council of NGO (BACONGO), CIVICUS: Worls Alliance of Citizen Participation, Amnesty International and many others.

Although most parts of the region do not have access to the internet and even when they do, they may not have the necessary skills to use it effectively, through creative marketing and on-line toolkits, this e-regional integration platform aims to develop it’s readers to a level where they can communicate. Access to information in an adequately usefully in the global south village.

The phenomena of regional integration provide an opportunity for sharing information, shaping the mass media and reaching global audiences at the same time.

One of the greatest challenges facing civil society is to mainstream its vision for a better world and to ensure that those of us involved in the struggle for global justice are as well informed as possible.

In a context where the global media environment presents a skewed sense of priorities and where the ownership of mainstream media is being concentrated, initiative such as People of the South blog dedicated to global social justice around the region is hopefully helping to make a difference and provide some balance.