i

Effects of Citizen Journalism on Traditional Journalism

Name

Professor

Institutional affiliations

Course

Date
 Surname ii

Contents
ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem........................................................................................................................3
Hypotheses..............................................................................................................................................3
The significance of the Study..................................................................................................................3
Limitations of the Study..........................................................................................................................4
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................5
Methodology.............................................................................................................................................10
Study Design.........................................................................................................................................10
Population and Sample..........................................................................................................................10
Data Collection......................................................................................................................................10
Data Analysis........................................................................................................................................11
Ethical Considerations...........................................................................................................................11
Results and Findings..................................................................................................................................12
Demographics from Survey 1................................................................................................................12
Other Results from Survey 1.................................................................................................................13
Demographics from Survey 2................................................................................................................19
Other Results from Survey 2.................................................................................................................20
Discussion.................................................................................................................................................22
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................25
References.................................................................................................................................................26
 Surname iii

Table of Figures
Figure 1: Difference between Professional and Citizen Journalism...........................................................13
Figure 2: Preferred Source of Local News...............................................................................................14
Figure 3: Reason for Preference................................................................................................................15
Figure 4: Source of Popularity of News Sources.......................................................................................16
Figure 5: Trustworthy of Non-tradition Sources........................................................................................17
Figure 6: Gains of Spreading Fake News..................................................................................................18
Figure 7: Identifying Fake News...............................................................................................................18

List of Tables
Table 1: Gender Representation in the Survey..........................................................................................12
Table 2: Status of the Participants.............................................................................................................12
Table 3: Experience of Journalists.............................................................................................................19
Table 4: Area of Expertise.........................................................................................................................19
 Surname iv

ABSTRACT

Due to the increased access to the internet in the Bahamas, the number of people

accessing social media platforms has increased as well. As a result, citizen journalism has been

on the rise spreading information and news all the country. Therefore, this study was interested

in evaluating the effects of citizen journalism on traditional journalism. The population of the

study was the general population and a section of professional journalists. Data collection was

through questionnaires designed in Survey Monkey and administered to the participants through

emails. Data was retrieved from the questionnaires and exported to Microsoft Excel for cleaning

and validation before exportation to IBM SPSS Version 23 for further analysis. Data was

analyzed through descriptive statistical methods. The study found out that social media platforms

were more preferred than the traditional sources of news and information because of their easy

access thus time saving. However, the study further established that traditional sources are still

popular due to the validity and credibility of the information and news they provide. Moreover,

despite the level of experience of profession journalists, a significant number had expertise on

internet journalism and indicated that journalism has changed as a result of the introduction of

social media. Social media led to the change of means through which professional journalists

gathered information. In addition, a section of journalists indicated to have incorporated citizen

journalists within their. From the results and findings of the study, it was clear that citizen

journalism had effects on traditional journalism with effects ranging from the change of methods

of gathering information to the number of people receiving such information.

 Surname 1

Introduction

Over the recent past, there has been a massive increase in social media usage in the

world. It is estimated that there will be close to 2.76 billion social media users around the world

by 2019. Moreover, about 71% of internet users are social media users with this figures expected

to increase with time (Scott, 2015, p.42). Among other online activities, social networking is the

most common with a higher engagement of the user and increasing mobile possibilities. The

increased possibilities are as a result of the high usage of mobile devices and smartphones. Apart

from facilitating the communication of users beyond social and local boundaries, social networks

also provide opportunities to share other contents such as videos and photographs. With such

abilities, social networks can be used as a tool to share news and other journalism-related

content.

The increase in the use of social networking platforms has led to advancement in the

journalism industry with journalists having a better platform to share photographs and videos of

live events. It implies that the public can now be provided with information and details on such

platforms as soon as they take place. Rather than waiting for hourly news updates, the public has

the opportunity of using their personal computers or mobile devices to get the recent updates

from all over the world (Washington, 2014, p.73).

In the Bahamas, the trend is similar to the general social network usage trends across the

globe. Being among the smallest countries of the world, half of the population of the Bahamas

has access to the internet. Despite its small size, the Bahamas is ranked among the top users of

internet globally. Social networking usage in the country contributes to almost 60% of the total

internet usage with Facebook being the most used social networking platform. With such a high
 Surname 2

number of internet users, journalism in the Bahamas is taking a new shape with much focus on

sharing news through social networks. The population enjoys constant news updates of the daily

happenings of the country. Moreover, the public can now look for much detailed information and

confirmations through the social networks (Batista, 2017, p.112).

The major difference between professional journalism and citizen journalism is on the

grounds of freedom of writing and expression, because in professional journalism, journalists are

working for media agencies that belong to financial companies and industries which the fist

object is to protect their own interests. On the other hand, citizen journalists are non-professional

journalists functioning in communication industry with the help of internet tools. Citizen

journalism has been on the rise due to the spread of internet tools such as social networks and

blogging which are essential for publishing their own opinions and articles.

However, there has been an increasing trend of spread on news and information that is

not genuine from the media houses and the citizens. Journalists who have found themselves in

such situations of spreading fake news and information have seen a massive decline in their

viewers and followers. In general, journalists get credit through the quantity and quality of

information they present to their subjects. The information they present to the public should be

factual and verifiable. Uncertain and misleading information can be harmful to both the public

and the source (Perrin, 2015, p.142). In the Bahamas, many citizens are always in possession of

information ahead of the journalists and will only depend on them for confirmation of validity

and reliability of information.

Since many people have access to social networks, there has been an increase in the

spread of unverified news by citizens. Since events are recorded as they happen, citizens find it

hard to wait for verification from the media houses and instead spread the news regardless of
 Surname 3

their validity and with no considerations of the possible harm that can be caused by such

information (Allcott, 2016, p.220). This paper will focus on evaluating the perception and role of

social networks in the dissemination of information and news in the Bahamas.

Statement of the Problem

There has been a limited number of studies focusing on the role of social networking in

journalism in the Bahamas. Social networking platforms have proved to provide suitable

conditions for the propagation of information and news. Therefore, it is important to assess the

perception of the citizens on the relevance of social networks in the dissemination of information

and news and evaluate the effects of citizen journalism on traditional journalism.

Hypotheses

The study was interested in evaluating the effects of citizen journalism on traditional

journalism and was guided by the following hypotheses:

Citizen journalism has been of an increase over the recent years and Citizen Journalism

has led to changes through which information and news were gathered.

The significance of the Study

Previous research and statistics indicate that close to half of the Bahamas population has

access to the internet. Moreover, there has been a gradual shift from the traditional journalism to

more internet-focused journalism. Therefore it is essential to evaluate the general acceptance of

the shift and the problems likely to be brought by the shift to internet-focused journalism. The

findings of the current study will be of importance to the internet users, the news agencies and

the government (Kellerman, 2016, p.9).

 Surname 4

Limitations of the Study

Although the study had a wide range of materials for literature review, there were no

significant materials regarding the Bahamas as there were no other previous studies relating to

the current study in the country. Moreover, the sample size was limited because respondents had

to be social media and internet users as the questionnaires were administered through these

platforms.
 Surname 5

Literature Review

For many years, the Bahamas has been dominated by the traditional media which date

back to 1784 when the first newspaper was printed. The media developed gradually, and in 1930

the first radio station was established in the country, and it was not until the late 1970s when the

country’s first national television went live. The country has since developed with needs and

preferences of its citizens changing with time with many shifting foci to social networks as a

source of information and news (Williamson, 2015, p.47).

The ease at which people gain access to information has grown, and the supply of

information is in surplus. In the present days, information is easily accessible regardless of where

you are. Digital technologies and other innovations in the communication industry have led to

significant developments in other industries. Journalism has shifted focus from the traditional

methods of dissemination of information and is now embracing the use of social networking

platforms to share information and other news as they happen. Moreover, citizen journalism is

increasingly becoming a challenge to professional journalism because citizens have fewer

considerations of the validity and reliability of information they share (Bruns, 2018, p.132).

At the comfort of their homes, citizens can record the happenings and directly report

them to the public through social networking platforms without editing or having considerations

of harms that may be caused by sharing such information. In other words, citizen journalism is a

threat to factual news because it enables the propagation of incorrect information. Although it

could be unreliable, citizen journalism on several occasion has stepped in for professional

journalism in areas where they could not cover. With professional journalism, journalists are

guided by ethics and codes of conduct, and therefore they ensure that before they publish any

information, they have facts about its source. On the other hand, citizen journalism has no codes
 Surname 6

of conduct or ethical considerations and will disseminate any information at their disposal. The

conflicts between professional journalism and citizen journalism leave the general public

confused on whom to believe (Paulussen, 2014, p. 545).

In her publication, “Your News in 140 Characters”, Wilma Stassen outlines that live

news consumers in the world are many than ever before and journalist must provide valid and

reliable information to them. It implies that journalists should expand their scope and move from

their conservative mediums such as television, newspapers, and radios into other faster means of

conveying information to the public. She further elaborates that for news entities to be always

ahead of their audience, they must embrace the use of social networks to add more value to their

productions.

A case study on Information News of Communities in Stassen’s publication found out

that there was a significant loss to the mainstream media who rely heavily on newspapers. The

study revealed that five newspapers in the Western Cape region recorded a decline of 36.76 % in

their newspaper circulation over the last ten years. The decline is a major threat to traditional

media since many people are shifting their focus to social networks for news and other related

information. Moreover, the study revealed that those within the media industry should redefine

their perception on the internet for them to attain maximum benefits of social networks ((Stassen,

2010, p.121).

In yet another work, “Online Journalism Ethics,” by Friend, Cecilia and Jane Singer, a

similar argument to that of Stassen is given. The works outlines that with the changing desires

and preferences of the populations, every aspect of journalism should be revised to cater for the

new needs of the audience. He emphasizes that news agencies should enhance transformation

from the traditional ways to the audience-preferred social networks journalism. The authors
 Surname 7

further describes the transformation of a news agency, “The Seattle Post Intelligencer” which

was established in 1863 but has embraced the new market needs and transformed to a fully

online newspaper in 2009. His work was advice to various stakeholders in different avenues of

journalism (Friend, 2015, p.167)

Claudette Artwick in her work “Reporters on Twitter Product of Service?” which was

aimed at evaluating twitter use by United States reporters outlines that in various newsrooms,

Twitter is regarded as a powerful tool with the ability to connect sources, journalists and

audience like never before. Artwick further argues that future journalism must view journalism,

not as a product but a service that provides answers to citizen’s questions as well as provide them

with resources and tools. Further, the study reveals that journalists serve the public through their

monitoring function as they always show up to witness events happening. The research methods

in the study included samples of tweets from metro reporters and newspapers (Artwick, 2014,

p.1120).

A similar study to Artwick’s, “Twitter as a Reporting Tool for Breaking News” Thewall,

Mike, et al. evaluated over 2.5 million tweets by journalists on the 2011 riots in the United

Kingdom. The study focusses on two journalists who effectively used Twitter as a reporting tool.

Vis outlined that the tweets contained videos, images of the riots. He further explains that an

interested person can easily access reliable information about events as they happen from

journalists without waiting for the local news stations to broadcast. The study used data obtained

from the Twitter database (Thelwall, 2016, p.2579)

Ingrid Rogstad in her publication “Political News Journalism in Social Media” states that

the present day's journalists from a great proportion of social network users where they utilize

the social platforms to share a wide range of information such as political discussions, self-
 Surname 8

promotions, breaking news and sharing particulars of their day-to-day activities. The study

further indicated that a significant number of journalists use social media platforms to reveal

their personalities through personal updates and humor and other information about themselves

that may help them develop a celebrity status. However, the study necessitates the importance of

using the social networking platforms to advance journalism and not individuals. Moreover,

Rogstad revealed that there is a challenge of neutrality in sharing political information through

the social media. He describes ways in which journalists may be in difficult situations trying to

ensure balance while giving information about politics (Rogstad, 2014, p. 688-703).

The study methodology was based on questionnaires and surveys of Norwegian political

news journalists who seemed to be eager to embrace the use of social media in reporting political

news and other information related to politics. However, not all participants of the study agreed

to the opinion of using social media as some expressed concerns about the spread of fake news.

In another their study “Digital Media in the Egyptian Revolution,” Alexandra, Dunn and

Christopher Wilson discussed the importance of Twitter in the study. The study used

documented twitter records in evaluating the use of social media by protesters, coordinators, and

transnational audience. In the results of the study, Dunn and Wilson indicated that Twitter played

an essential role in spreading well-structured information. It was evident from the analysis of the

study that Twitter was used in large scale to disseminate information (Alexandra, 2015, p. 774)

Moreover, in a study by Hermans, Vergeer, and d’Haenens, they sought to evaluate the

accuracy of information published on social media platforms by journalists. The study revealed

that journalists must be up to date with the events happenings in their area of jurisdiction and

determine which information should be shared with the public through social networks. Given

the high number of internet users, information shared should be of the highest accuracy to avoid
 Surname 9

confusion. The study further established that journalists use the internet and in particular social

networks as a tool to disseminate information and build their celebrity status. Moreover, the

study found that citizens do not worry about the source of information on social networks and

some would even share the information without ascertaining the validity and reliability of the

source. Hermans, Vergeer, and d’Haenens further emphasized the importance of sharing

information only if the accuracy of the information was ascertained (Hermans, 2014, p. 543).

A study on production and use of live blogs conducted by Neil Thurman and Anna

Walters found that live blogs were largely used to disseminate information on breaking news,

cultural and political events. The study further outlined that accuracy played an important part in

live blogs. Most live blogs are reliable because they share links to live events and therefore

makes it easy for the audience to evaluate their validity (Schifferes, Steve, et al, 2014, 415)

Over the recent years, there has been an increase in access to the internet. People can now

access any information they need at the comfort of their homes. What matters is the reliability of

the information. With the existence of several social networking platforms, information and news

are hurriedly shared to friends and families without evaluation of their validity. The fake news

may lead to adverse outcomes for the audience. Therefore, it is important for citizens and

journalists to ascertain the source of the information before clicking the share button.
 Surname 10

Methodology

Study Design

The research design is qualitative because it focusses on establishing the general

perception of the citizens on the use of social networking platforms as a tool for sharing

information for both professional and citizen journalism. A qualitative study is basically an

exploratory research used to develop an understanding of the underlying reasons, motivations

and opinions. It provides insight into the problem as well as reveal trends in thoughts or opinions

and dive deeper into the problem. In qualitative studies, data collection methods include

observations and individual interviews (Taylor et al. 2015, p.72).

Population and Sample

To evaluate the study question, the study population consisted of the general public in the

Bahamas. To be eligible for the study, a participant had to be a social media user. In addition, the

study involved journalist to take part in a survey aimed at establishing their perception on

professional and traditional journalism. A sample should be a true representation of the

population, and therefore the sampling method used should be adequately justified (Taylor,

2015, p. 97). For the study, systematic sampling method was used. For a systemic method, every

nth response is included for analysis.

Data Collection

Data were obtained through the use of an online questionnaire designed and

administrated through Survey Monkey and were sent to the participants through emails and

other social networking sites. There were two sets of questionnaires: one for the general public

which consisted of nine closed questions and another one for journalists which consisted of 11

questions which were all required for successful completion. Upon successful completion, the
 Surname 11

filled questionnaires would then be submitted through email to the researcher. Measures were put

in place to prevent resubmission of filled questions by the same respondent. Every fifth

questionnaire in the email was included for analysis for the questionnaires administered to the

general public. The study used a total of 118 questionnaires from the general public and ten from

journalists.

Data Analysis

The submitted questionnaires were retrieved from the email and exported to Microsoft

Excel where data validation and cleaning was conducted. All the responses were considered

valid as no inconsistences was observed. The data was then exported to IBM SPSS (Version 23)

for advanced analysis.

Descriptive analysis was conducted where tables were drawn to indicate means, medians,

variances, maximum, minimums and ranges. To test the hypotheses of the study, descriptive

statistical methods were used. Additionally, graphs were drawn to illustrate relationships and

differences among variables of interest.

Ethical Considerations

The questionnaires were administered to persons with age above 18 years. Respondent

were required to indicate that they had satisfied the condition. Moreover, the responses were

treated with utmost confidentiality and were only accessible to the researcher and for purposes of

the study alone. No personal identification was required for the study, and the respondents

remained anonymous for the entire duration of the study. Additionally, the results and findings

of the study were revealed to the respondents as a show of good faith.

 Surname 12

Results and Findings

Demographics from Survey 1

Age of the participants of the first survey meant for the general public ranged from 20-27

years with a mean of 23.65 years. In addition, the survey was dominated by the male gender as

shown in Table 1 below.

Gender Count Proportion

Male 65 55.00%

Female 53 45.00%

Total 118 100%

Table 1: Gender Representation in the Survey

Majority of the participants of the survey were college students with age ranging from 20-24
yeas as shown in Table 2 below.

Status Count Proportion

College 73 62%

Non-College 45 38%

Total 118 100%

Table 2: Status of the Participants
 Surname 13

Other Results from Survey 1

A significant number of respondents revealed to know the difference between citizen

journalism and professional journalism (33.34%). An equal number of respondents had no idea

whether there exist any differences between citizen and professional journalism. Moreover,

31.31% of the respondents were not sure whether they knew the difference between the two

types of journalism.

This implies that majority of the Bahamas population cannot distinguish between citizen

and professional journalism and therefore they are subject to fake news.

Figure 1: Difference between Professional and Citizen Journalism

Furthermore, the study sought to establish the preference of getting the local news of the

respondents. Social media and radio were the most preferred, (n=36, 36% and n=35, 35%)

respectively while TV and newspapers were the least preferred sources of the local news (n=18,
 Surname 14

18% and n=11, 11%) respectively. This results indicate that although social media platforms are

becoming popular, the traditional sources, radios in particular are still preferred.

Figure 2: Preferred Source of Local News

Consequently, the study was interested in finding out the reasons for the preference of the

selected source of local news. Majority of the respondents attributed their preference to the speed

in which they received the news (n=53, 53%). A few respondents gave credit of their preferred

source because of the depth of the coverage of the news (n=18, 18%) while others made a

preference by news filtration (n=29, 29%). In both the traditional and the non-traditional sources,

it is easier to get information because for instance in the social media and television, news are

spread live as they occur while the radios provide news at hourly intervals. Moreover, both the

traditional and the non-traditional sources provide their audience with in depth information with

social media platforms giving chance to get more information through additional links.
 Surname 15

Figure 3: Reason for Preference

Apart from preference to local news sources, the study was interested in finding out the

perception of the respondents on the credibility of the sources of local news. Majority of the

respondents regarded TV and Radio as the most credible source of information and news (n=41,

41% and n=28, 28% respectively). Social media and newspapers were regarded to have less

credibility (n=16, 16% and n=15, 15% respectively). High preference of television and radio

because of their credibility is a result of the increased spread of fake and misleading information

through social media platforms.

Moreover, the study was keen to examine whether there were any differences between

the popularity of the traditional and non-traditional sources of information and news. The study

established that a significant number of respondents attributed the popularity of sources based on

their credibility and ease of accessibility (n=40, 40%, and n=35, 35% respectively). Enjoyment

and attraction were least regarded as the source of the popularity of the news sources (n=3, 3%

and n=2, 2% respectively) as shown in Figure 4 below.

 Surname 16

Figure 4: Source of Popularity of News Sources

Furthermore, the study evaluated the trustworthy of news disseminated from non-

traditional sources. The respondents were given a Likert scale to indicate the trustworthy score of

the news from the non-traditional sources. Majority of the respondent indicated to usually and

sometimes trust the news (n=34, 34% and n=32, 32%). A significant number of respondents

indicated to always trust news from non-traditional sources (n=20, 20%) while (n=12, 12% and

n=1, 1%) indicated to rarely or never trust news spread from such sources. Although the non-

traditional sources are on most occasions associated with the spread of fake information and

news, they are usually trusted by some people because some of the information shared through

them can be validated to some level. For instance it is easy to validate live events being reported

through social media platforms.

 Surname 17

Figure 5: Trustworthy of Non-tradition Sources

The study also assessed the perception of the respondents on the trust of news from

traditional media houses (TV, Newspaper, and Radio). A significant number of respondent

indicated to always and usually trust news from the traditional sources (n=40, 40% and n=39,

39%). Only n=4, 4% of the responded indicated that they rarely or never trust news spread by the

traditional sources. The traditional sources enjoys trust from the public as they are known to

disseminate credible and reliable information and news.

Moreover, the study was concerned about the spread of fake news and was interested in

finding out what the respondents thought about the issue. The study, therefore, sought to

establish what people gain by spreading the fake and false news. Majority of the respondent

associated the spread of fake news with the desire to show controversy or gain wealth from such

acts (n=38, 38% and n=27, 27%). A significant number of respondents further indicated that

those who spread fake news are interested in sparking discussions or are after attention (n=18,

18% and n=17, 17% respectively) as shown in Figure 6 below. The main reason for spreading

fake news can be attributed to the desire to cause confusion among people or initiate discussions

about the subject.

 Surname 18

Figure 6: Gains of Spreading Fake News

Finally, the study evaluated the ability of the respondents to detect fake news. Majority

of the respondents outlined that they regard news to be fake if there are key missing information

and the traditional sources are not reporting (n=38, 38% and 35, 35% respectively) while others

indicated that they conclude that information is fake if they are from unreliable sources and

photographs attached to the information do not seem legitimate (n=16, 16% and n=11, 11%

respectively) as shown in Figure 7 below.

Figure 7: Identifying Fake News

 Surname 19

Demographics from Survey 2

The study also sought to establish the experience of journalists who took part in the

study. 6 (60%) indicated to have an experience of more than 10 years while 2 (20%) indicated to

have a1-3 year experience in the industry. Those with less than one year experience represented

20%. The results are shown in Figure 3 below.

Experience Length Count Proportion

Less than a year 2 20%
1-3 years 2 20%
More than 10 years 6 60%
Total 10 100%
Table 3: Experience of Journalists
The study further established that 50% of the participants were involved in internet

journalism while an equal number was involved in traditional journalism with 20% having

expertise in newspaper journalism and 30% having expertise in both radio and television

journalism as shown in Table 4 below. The results implies that social media platforms are having

an impact on professional journalism as a significant number of journalists are embracing the use

of such platforms in sharing information and news.

Area of Expertise Count Proportion

Newspaper 2 20%
Television & Radio 3 30%
Internet 5 50%
Total 10 100%
Table 4: Area of Expertise
 Surname 20

Other Results from Survey 2

Additionally, 80% of the participants felt that journalism has changed since the

introduction of social media while 20% felt that there were no major changes in the industry as a

result of social media journalism.

Furthermore, 80% of the respondents indicated that citizen journalism had an impact on

their work while 1% outlined that it had no impact and 1% were not sure whether citizen

journalism had any impact on their work. Consequently, citizen journalism was describe to have

changed the way information was gathered for 80% of the participants while only 1% of the

respondents indicate no change and 1% were not sure of the occurrence of change in the way

they gathered information as a result of citizen journalism.

The study was interested in finding out the impact of Twitter, Facebook and other social

media platforms the works of journalists. 60% of the respondents expressed the impact as

negative, 20% of respondents as positive while 20% indicated a neutral impact. Moreover, the

study sought to establish whether profession journalist monitored the publications of citizen

journalists and how often it was done. 80% of the respondents indicated to have monitored

citizen journalists against the 20% who indicated not to monitor activities of citizen journalists.

As a result, among the 80% of the respondent who monitored activities of citizen journalists,

40% did it every day, 40% on often occasions, 10% regularly and 10% rarely.

The enquiry on whether individual journalist had ever incorporated citizen journalists in

their work drew mixed reactions with 50% of the respondents agreeing with the question against

50% who claimed to have never incorporated citizen journalists in any of their work. However,
 Surname 21

70% of the respondents thought that citizen journalists pose a threat to professional journalists

while 20% thought that no threat was posed and 10% were not certain of any threats.

Finally, the study wanted to establish the opinion of the respondents on the major

difference between profession journalism and citizen journalism. Majority of the respondents

(50%) indicated that professional journalism provides better content to the audience as compared

to citizen journalism. 30% thought that newsworthiness was the major difference between

professional and citizen journalism while only 20% expressed that the major difference was

filtration of news.
 Surname 22

Discussion

With increased access to information to all people, it is essential that one can distinguish

valid information as fake information may lead to harm. It is evident that majority of the

Bahamas people are not able to differentiate between citizen professional journalism. It is

important to differentiate the two types of journalism because professional journalism is

associated with information and news that are valid and reliable. A clear distinction is essential

to enable the citizens to make clear decisions on what source to depend on.

Social media was found to be the most preferred source of obtaining local information

closely followed by the radio. Among the top reasons given for the preference was the quick

access to the news. It is clear that social media provide live news as they happen. Moreover,

radio is common and give news at hourly intervals or as soon as they happen. Although TV and

newspapers were less preferred by the respondents, they were attributed to having more in-depth

coverage of information and news.

Additionally, TV and radio were perceived to have the credibility of the news and

information they spread. Although social media was the most preferred source of information

and news, respondents had no faith in the credibility of news spread through such platforms.

However, social media was perceived to be a time saver and news are easily obtainable.

Additionally, information and news can be shared through social media platforms can be easily

filtered.

Although traditional sources are losing popularity, they are still trusted that they convey

credible information and news. The findings of the study reveal that traditional sources are

always trusted as a source of valid and reliable information and news. On the other hand, the
 Surname 23

study revealed that participants did not have statistically significant confidence and trust in social

media platforms as a source of credible and reliable information.

The spread of fake news was attributed to the urge to display controversy and wealth as

some links shared through social media platforms lead to external sites that may require a

subscription for further information. However, the spread of fake news could also be as a result

of people interested in seeking attention and sparking discussions.

Despite the increase in the amount of fake and unreliable information at the disposal of

their disposal, citizens have ways of determining the validity and reliability of such information.

In many cases, such information will be inconsistent, or the photographs attached to them may

not be in correlation with the information discussed. Most importantly, citizens would make

comparisons of the information they have with that provided by the traditional sources to

evaluate their credibility.

Regardless of the experience of professional journalists, there was an equal number of

journalists with expertise in both the traditional and non-traditional sources of information.

Furthermore, it is evident that journalism has changed with the introduction of social media.

Additionally, citizen journalism has led to changes in which information and news is

collected and has impacted on work and experience of professional journalist. However, Twitter,

Facebook and other social media platforms have had negative impacts on works of professional

journalists.

With the increased use of social media platforms in the spread of information and news,

professional journalists have engaged themselves in regular monitoring the publications of

citizen journalists. In addition, on several occasions, citizen journalist have stood to provide
 Surname 24

information and news in areas that professional could not access and therefore it is important to

often incorporate them in necessary situations. However, citizen journalism pose a threat to

professional journalism because citizen journalists are not bound by codes of conducts.

The current study was interested in finding out the effects of citizen journalism on

traditional journalism. The findings of the study are significant as they will enable the traditional

sources to adapt to the new needs of their audience. The study established that social media

platforms have gained popularity over the recent past since information can be easily accessed as

they happen. This implies that, the audience do not have to wait until news are edited and

presented to them by the traditional sources long after they happened.

Moreover, as opposed to the traditional sources where they have the full control of what

to present to their audience, citizen journalism gives the audience full control of news and

information they want to access with additional links to more and related information.

Additionally, the findings of the study indicates that, citizen journalism is flexible and

can at times provide information of events that could not be covered by the traditional sources. In

such situations, professional journalism are forced to work with citizen journalist to gain access

to such information.

Furthermore, the study established that with the intervention of professional journalists in

monitoring the publications of citizen journalists, the audience is likely to have access to more

credible information. Therefore, it is important for professional journalists to collaborate with the

citizen in ensuring that content spread through social media platforms is valid, reliable and

verifiable.
 Surname 25

Conclusion

In conclusion, the study was interested in evaluating the effects of citizen journalism on

traditional journalism. The study obtained information from the general public and professional

journalists through questionnaires administered through emails. Data obtained was analyzed

using descriptive methods. Fake information and news can be misleading and harmful. It is

important for social media users to evaluate the credibility of news and other information before

spreading it or taking other actions. Moreover, news agencies should fully embrace the use of

social media platforms in disseminating information and news because most people have higher

preferences for such platforms. Additionally, the government of the Bahamas should enact

legislation and policies that will control and regulate the spread of information and news. Citizen

journalism has impacts on traditional journalism as people are shifting focus to social media

platforms since news are easily accessible and shareable. Moreover, more in-depth news can be

accessed as the y happen all over the world through the use of social networking platforms as

compared to the traditional sources where news have to be edited before being transmitted to the

audience.

The study was limited by the use of social media platforms in general. Additionally, the

sample size for the questionnaires involving journalists was small and hence would limit external

validity of the study. Future studies should focus on evaluating effects of individual social

networking platforms on traditional journalism and their efficiency in spreading information and

news.
 Surname 26

References

Allcott, Hunt, and Matthew Gentzkow. "Social media and fake news in the 2016

election." Journal of Economic Perspectives 31.2 (2017): 211-36.Development Bank, 2017.

Artwick, Claudette G. "News sourcing and gender on Twitter." Journalism 15.8 (2014): 1111-

1127.

Batista, Deborah C., et al. Insights from Social Media on Gender in Latin America. Inter-

American

Breuer, Anita, Todd Landman, and Dorothea Farquhar. "Social media and protest mobilization:

Evidence from the Tunisian revolution." Democratization 22.4 (2015): 764-792.

Bruns, Axel. "Gatewatching and news curation: Journalism, social media, and the public sphere."

(2018).

Friend, Cecilia, and Jane Singer. Online journalism ethics: Traditions and transitions.

Routledge, 2015.

Kellerman, Aharon. "Introduction: The Internet and Geography." Geographic Interpretations of

the Internet. Springer, Cham, 2016. 1-19.

Paulussen, Steve, and Raymond A. Harder. "Social media references in newspapers: Facebook,

Twitter and YouTube as sources in newspaper journalism." Journalism Practice 8.5 (2014): 542-

551.

Perrin, Andrew. "Social media usage." Pew research center(2015).

 Surname 27

Rogstad, Ingrid Dahlen. "Political News Journalists in Social Media: Transforming political

reporters into political pundits?." Journalism Practice 8.6 (2014): 688-703.

Schifferes, Steve, et al. "Identifying and verifying news through social media: Developing a

user-centred tool for professional journalists." Digital Journalism 2.3 (2014): 406-418.

Scott, David Meerman. The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online

video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly.

John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

Stassen, Wilma. "Your news in 140 characters: exploring the role of social media in

journalism." Global Media Journal-African Edition 4.1 (2010): 116-131.

Taylor, Steven J., Robert Bogdan, and Marjorie DeVault. Introduction to qualitative research

methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

Taylor, Steven J., Robert Bogdan, and Marjorie DeVault. Introduction to qualitative research

methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.

Thelwall, Mike, et al. "Chatting through pictures? A classification of images tweeted in one

week in the UK and USA." Journal of the Association for Information Science and

Technology 67.11 (2016): 2575-2586.

Trottier, Daniel. Social media as surveillance: Rethinking visibility in a converging world.

Routledge, 2016.

Washington, Erin K. "Journalism and Social Media." (2014).

 Surname 28

Williamson, Deandra Kayla. ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN BAHAMIAN JOURNALISM: THE

CASE FOR A CODE OF ETHICS. Diss. Point Park University, 2015. guidebook and resource.

John Wiley & Sons, 2015.