Citizen journalism flexes its muscles

Published Jan 13, 2007

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By Brett Riskowitz

From his slurred babbling to his dumbstruck appearance, every sign of High Court Judge Nkola Motata's alleged inebriation was captured for posterity - not by a journalist, but by a member of the public using a cellphone.

Motata's case is a classic example of citizen journalism, in which ordinary members of the public take on the role of journalists, and cover an unfolding story themselves. Their amateur efforts, recorded as events unfold rather than after the fact, often have immense impact.

Probably the first major example of the impact of citizen journalism was the filming on March 3 1991, by an amateur photographer, of the brutal beating of a black Los Angeles man, Rodney King, by several white police officers.

The videotape, showing the officers using batons to beat King after he'd led them on a car chase when they tried to stop him for speeding, was broadcast around the world. When the four policemen charged with the beating were acquitted, it set off the worst rioting in US history.

Some of the most shocking examples of citizen journalism in recent times include:

- The recording of Judge Motata, after he smashed his Jaguar through the wall of a Hurlingham, Sandton, house on January 5. One of the occupants subsequently recorded the judge, who was argumentative and used foul language, and who refused to get out of his car.

- The execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein last month, in which he was shown trading insults with his executioners moments before he was hanged. The recording, with sound, painted a very different picture to the shorter, soundless footage released officially.

- The London bombings in July 2005, when passengers trapped on Underground trains filmed the smoke-filled interiors after suicide bombers had detonated explosives. Within minutes their dramatic pictures, sent to TV stations, were being broadcast and posted to the Internet.

- The tsunami of December 26 2004, when many people used their cameras and cellphones to record the devastation.

- The torching of mice by a group of Johannesburg northern suburbs teenagers last year, shortly after they had bought the hapless animals from a pet shop.

- The cellphone video recording of a 16-year-old Eldorado Park girl having sex with three metro police officers last year. Though not recorded for journalistic reasons, the video caused outrage when it found its way to the media.

The immediacy with which an ordinary citizen's photographs and videos can be captured on his or her phone, and the speed at which these can be sent to news organisations, make the professional journalist's life much easier.

But if the average citizen is able to capture such pivotal news stories in an instant, how much will news coverage be affected in the future?

Professor Guy Berger, head of Rhodes University's journalism department, feels that "the number of people who can be involved in media production will increase into the future". He further states that "the mainstream media must link up with citizen reports and footage to ensure the best possible news coverage".

Websites linked to specific newspapers, where the average civilian is given the opportunity to create blogs, as well as insert photographs and videos, he believes, are important sources that should be used by journalists.

But while Berger feels the need for "mainstream media to integrate with citizen journalism", he questions whether "civilian journalism comes with the ethics and morals which are ensured by mainstream journalism".

Moral questions surrounding citizen journalism could include the digital manipulation of photographs and videos, the staging of events, as well as whether the information and footage were acquired legally or not. If the professional journalist relies too heavily on citizens' reports, there is the danger of providing false footage and information to the public.

The deputy chairperson of the South African National Editors' Forum, Thabo Leshilo, opposes the idea of citizen journalism in terms of these moral ethics. He asserts "it is the biggest nonsense" and that "it is definitely not journalism".

"It opens up the way for a lot of things to be published that are not true," he says.

Leshilo, however, sees it as the media's moral responsibility "to verify news from civilians before publication"; that is, he says, "newspapers cannot publish rumours".

Raymond Louw, of the Freedom of Expression Institute, says citizen journalism "is a growing phenomenon ... virtually every person with a cellphone is a cameraman". He sees their work as an important part of media coverage.

"In the case of the Saddam hanging," he says, "the government version had no sound and it seemed like a normal hanging. The cellphone version, on the other hand, revealed the horror of the event through the inclusion of sound."

Louw feels citizen journalism may be "an element of increased visibility in the future". Ultimately, "it's a good thing".

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