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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Japan and the Citizen Journalist
John Germ, Photographer
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Wadsworth | Oh | USA | Posted: 2:59 PM on 03.15.11 |
| ->> I wanted to start a new thread with a very specific topic: impressions of the role the "citizen journalist" played in the events of the quake and tsunami. I've seen comments in the past here and elsewhere that there is no such thing as a "citizen journalist". I think teh incredible abundance of technology in consumer electronics provided the world with some very incredible video/images of this event. I think it helps tell stories more effectively than possible in the past. Yes there will be other stories to tell and certainly many stories will be better told by professional journalists/photo-journalists but for an event such as this, it has been amazing to see the footage generated by the non-professionals that experienced it. So, I'd just like to discuss that aspect of things here - how much of a roll do you think the "citizen journalist" played or is playing in telling this story? |
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Mike Anzaldi, Photographer
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Oak Park | IL | USA | Posted: 5:37 PM on 03.15.11 |
->> HUGE.
i think the residents in the hardest hit areas have provided the world with the most dramatic images/video i have ever seen. nothing fancy. no HD. no training or professional experience in capturing breaking news. just the best possible example i can imagine of being in the right(wrong) place at the right(wrong) time. sure, the professional story tellers have turned up to take over with fancy cameras and experience in framing images...but the early pictures that came from this epic event have gotten the attention of the entire world...which i believe is the point of journalism.
the professional media are tying up a lot of unanswered questions about the nuke plants, foreign aid, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. stunning professional stills and really brilliant graphic presentations are constantly being assembled as well. all good things. that said, i keep seeing adverts for CNN's anderson cooper live from japan, and i cringe, feeling some sort of shame or embarrassment. i'm not sure why this is. i'm not at all opposed to seeing reports from CNN's kyung lah, or seeing americans reporting from tokyo. however, white american reporters setting up at ground zero generate a personal response i can't properly explain. so, my apologies if that offends anyone here. |
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David A. Cantor, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 5:52 PM on 03.15.11 |
| ->> A huge "roll" would be a futomaki, no? |
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Wesley R. Bush, Photographer
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Murfreesboro | TN | U.S. | Posted: 10:00 AM on 03.16.11 |
| ->> The only problem I have with citizen journalism is the term itself. Just because you shoot some video of a newsworthy event doesn't mean you're a journalist. Having said that, I also am not some ivory tower news buff who thinks only a person trained to report news can accurately inform me of what's going on. I take them all, amateur and professional, and combine them to form my interpretation of news. Thankfully, we've got the luxury of both. |
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Vinny Tennis, Photographer
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New Holland | PA | USA | Posted: 6:08 PM on 03.16.11 |
->> Several weeks ago we had a two-alarm fire in our area. The front page photo was submitted by a citizen and was more than likely shot with a cell phone. It showed the building with flames coming out all sides. By the time I arrived, the firefighters had most of the fire extinguished. Photographers can't be at all places at all times and I agree if they have a great photo, are willing to share it, we as publishers have an obligation to show the best photo available, even if it isn't mine. Some staffers may disagree. But I agree the the term "citizen journalist" is not appropriate. Just because I put a band-aid on my son's cut doesn't make me a "citizen doctor", able to treat all sorts of medical emergencies.
At Mike, yea I can relate to how you feel about the exploitation of a tragedy. “I knew the circus was coming to town, but I didn’t know how big it was going to be" , that was a comment I made about the media at the Nickel Mines Amish School shooting, killing five young girls in Lancaster County, PA a few years ago. I was the first print photographer on the scene, images of mine were used all over the world the next day. Then the "circus" rolled in. A couple prime-time news shows, media from all over the world, multiple crews from the same network, crews not real sensitive to the Amish ways, plus all the print journalists and photographers from who knows where, all vying for the juiciest bit of details they could get. Yes it was big news, but when you come into my back yard I feel as they think I am not good enough to get the job done. I know that is not true, that is just the way our business works, but that is how I felt. |
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Vinny Tennis, Photographer
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New Holland | PA | USA | Posted: 6:11 PM on 03.16.11 |
| ->> And I too apologize if my feelings may offend anyone. |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 3:10 AM on 03.17.11 |
->> I evaluate the work. I don't care what the person wants to call themselves.
--Mark |
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