Ethical Dimension of Citizen Journalism; Implication on News Gathering

In the 21st century, citizen journalism has significantly impacted the way news is gathered and reported. It has become a regular contributor to mainstream news, providing information to the public. The interactivity and speed of citizen journalism has posed a challenge to traditional news gathering and dissemination. The paper examined the impact of citizen journalism on traditional news gathering and dissemination. This study is guided by the Democratic Participant Theory, which emphasizes the importance of media access for all citizens, the research investigates how citizen journalism has broadened news sources and fostered a more democratic media landscape. Employing a qualitative research methodology that involved the analysis of secondary data, including academic literature, news articles, and social media content related to citizen journalism, the study explores the evolving landscape of news production and consumption. Citizen journalism has broadened access to a variety of news and provided opportunities for a more democratic practice of journalism. However, some citizen journalists have deviated from the principles of the profession by reporting unnecessary and irrelevant issues, causing disaffection in society. This study reveals that citizen journalism and some social media platforms are jeopardizing the efforts of conventional journalists towards ensuring good and smooth practice of the profession. Ethical challenges of citizen journalism include the spread of misinformation, disinformation, cyberbullying, privacy violations, online harassment, and the amplification of divisive and harmful content. To address these challenges, the study recommends that the government should expedite its plan to regulate social media use, and social media operators should adhere to the core ethics of conventional journalism, such as accuracy and objectivity in news gathering and dissemination.