This week in class we discussed citizen journalism. This is a very controversial term which many people don’t agree with. It refers to the reporting of news events by members of the public using the Internet to spread the information. It is easily spread through personal websites, blogs, microblogs, social media and so on.

Heres an awesome video that better explains citizen journalism.

An example of citizen journalism would be the use of food blogs. An article states that 79% of respondents consulted U.S. food blogs at least daily, if not multiple times a day, crediting their increased usage to a food bloggers candid writing style, diverse voice and range of topics, as well as their approachable personalities. Websites like yelp, trip advisor, and even google all review restaurants. Citizen journalism is used throughout these food critic websites because of how peopler posting their opinions on the restaurants, rather than it being actual credible facts. So why do we trust these websites?

Example of a Yelp review