GOODY TWO SHOES: Yes, But Who’s Going To Teach Them?
Chicago Tribune Internet critic Steve Johnson opines, “It is easy to be skeptical about what has been labeled ‘citizen journalism,’ the imperfect term that lumps into one category everybody reporting news for anybody outside of the traditional media.” Leaving aside the fact that people wouldn’t bother reading the output of citizen journalists if it weren’t easy to be skeptical about the MSM, it appears that the Society of Professional Journalists “has chosen to embrace, rather than shun, the citizen journalism movement,” meaning:
[I]t's conducting a series of three seminars around the country that aim to teach the basics of the craft to those who are, perhaps, more citizen than journalist.
“There are quite a few bloggers, particularly in larger cities, who do work on a par with any journalist,” said Clint Brewer, the SPJ's president and editor of Nashville's alternative City Paper. “We're trying to sort of hang our shingle out in their world with this first step and let them know we welcome them as well.” …
About 25 people signed up, at $25 for a day of seminars on ethics, reporting and the like, and on the first decent Chicago weather day in weeks, about two-thirds of those showed up.
Oh, puh-leeze! The MSM first needs to get its own ethical house in order when it comes to biased reporting, undisclosed conflicts of interest, plagiarism, fabricated quotes and stealing stories. And it would help increase people’s respect for the profession’s practitioners if journalists remembered they are citizens.
When every reporter at every media outlet conducts himself responsibly and ethically on every story, the SPJ will have the credibility to teach citizen journalists about ethics. All too often, “professional” journalist and “ethical” journalist are not synonymous.
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