COURSE NAME: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOJOURNALISM

COURSE CODE: MCM 107

Aondover Eric Msughter, Ph.D

Department of Mass Communication, Caleb Unviersity.
Phone Number: +2347033443483
Email: eric.aondover@calebuniversity.edu.ng
 Citizen Photojournalism
A citizen journalist is a non-professional journalist
reporting news on personal blogs and websites, such as Facebook
and Twitter. Modern technology has allowed the general public to
document newsworthy events without having professional
journalism training, and the global distribution capability of the
internet allows audiences from other parts of the world to quickly
access and find out what is going on. Citizen journalism is
becoming cheaper as it is easier to produce and upload news -
people now have decent quality cameras built into mobile phones
that also have the ability to upload the images to internet social
websites almost immediately after taking the
It also includes people with formal journalism training who
partake in non-professionalised, user-generated newsgathering
and dissemination practices.’’ According to Asemah (2011d), ‘‘the
idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional
journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the
global distribution of the internet to create, augment or fact-check
media on their own or in collaboration with others.’’
 Cont. on Citizen Photojournalism
When journalism first started in around the 1850s with
the outbreak of the Crimean War, journalists and
photojournalists competed against each other to get that
‘perfect’ shot or exclusive story that would make the front page.
But now the general public can compete for that same front
page. The citizen journalist could be a first hand witness to an
event whilst it would take time for a photojournalist or journalist
to be in position. Citizen journalists could even upload their
accounts to social networking sites and even newspapers before
the professionals (Mediactive, 2011).
On the other hand, photojournalists will have the
equipment to document events and be granted access or ‘press
passes,’ to restricted areas, such as football stadiums and war
zones. The main aim of a traditional journalist and
photojournalist is to report newsworthy and accurate stories. The
detail in which the journalist and photojournalist reports can be
biased towards the feelings of the reporter or/and the newspaper
the journalist or photojournalist is writing for.
 Limitations of Citizens Photojournalism

Garcia (2012) identifies the following limitations of

citizen photojournalism, which is why professional
photojournalists should not panic:
1. Quality: Cameras are plentiful and easy to operate, but so are
pencils. That doesn’t make everyone a reporter. Readers have
an expectation of quality in their news content, and anything
short of that erodes their trust in a news organisation. Since
trust in news operations are at an all-time low, who would
want to make matters worse? Furthermore, whereas, some
citizen photojournalists are skilled behind a camera, many
are not. There can be a huge difference in what you
cognitively experience at a situation and what the picture
communicates. Exceptions in quality, such as the blurry,
grainy video of a plane crash are always made for exceptional
events. But those events are exceptional in their occurrence,
too.
 Cont. on Limitations of Citizens Photojournalism

2. Digital manipulation: If seasoned photojournalists have been

caught digitally manipulating photographs to make them
better, how much more likely would it be for a citizen, who
does not have a salary or reputation to lose? This is especially
true if a person has an agenda to push. News organisations,
which work hard at maintaining their brands, are gambling
with their trustworthy image when they decide to use photos
from a “man-on-the-street.”
3. Integrity: Even if there was a way to control for digital
manipulation through technology, you still need to trust a
person’s viewpoint and version of the events. Were there
more people excluded from this picture? Was that person
with the group? How old is this video? Even if “pictures don’t
lie,” people can. The reality that cameras depict is filtered b
the person operating the controls.
 Cont. on Limitations of Citizens Photojournalism

4. Storytelling: This is perhaps one of the most significant

differences between a photojournalist and a citizen
photojournalist. News organisations tell you what’s new, timely or
relevant about an occurrence in a community. A photojournalist,
after collaborating with reporters and editors who are experts in
their subject areas, will have that story in mind often before
photographing an event or situation. Citizen photojournalists may
produce an image from an event, but without a story attached to
it. Solid journalism is about going beyond the representational to
offer something that is storytelling as well.
5. Reliability: Even if there is a reasonable expectation that some
big event is bound to attract a lot of citizen photojournalists,
there’s no guarantee usable pictures will result. There are many
threats to getting a picture. Add rain, cold, or some other variable
and the likelihood drops further.
Thank You All for Listening.

Any Questions?