Mobile phones – transforming the age of online journalism?
Steven Mangan posted a blog called An everyday mobile phone makes an everyday journalist. He speaks about the recent phenomenon of every user of the standard mobile becoming, in a sense, an everyday citizen journalist.
He makes the point about the versatility and flexibility of phone:
“Mobile phone users can be there – on the ground or in the thick of the action – giving eyewitness accounts of actual events. Telecommunication updates have introduced the camera to the device , meaning users can also take pictures and produce short films.”
He goes on to say that:
“Mobile phones are challenging official sources of information, and the internet is their platform to the public sphere to influence news gatekeepers.”
In my opinion, this is a craze that looks set to stay with us and develop into the future as mobile phone manufacturers are constantly making their phones more sophisticated.
The trend of mobile phone footage from citizens breaking stories looks set to continue
In another post, Steven uses the example of the footage of Ian Tomlinson’s assault at the G20 summit protests as an example of how the mobile phone can bring stories to light.
The footage, shown on the the Guardian website, was taken on a camera phone by a New York man who happened to be in London at the time on business. It shows Tomlinson, who was not part of the demonstration, being assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by baton-wielding police. Shortly after this footage was taken, Tomilson collapsed and died.
It is fair to say that this incident may not have received such widespread attention had it not been for the footage, and this is citizen journalism’s greatest strength – its ability to bring grassroots stories to light which may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Leave a Comment
Be the first to comment!
