Citizen journalism: examples

Put simply, citizen journalism is when an average person does what professional reporters do - report information.

This is usually by using their smartphone to record an event while it is happening.

Key language: UGC = User generated content

User generated content is any content that is created by the audience – YouTube videos, tweets, vines, Facebook posts etc. Citizen journalism is a great example of UGC.

Important examples of citizen journalism

TED talk by the Guardian’s Paul Lewis on Ian Tomlinson's death

Eric Garner filmed saying "I can't breathe" while being arrested by NYPD

Chelsea fans in Paris

TV News: moving online

Many people now get their news from online news providers such as YouTube’s Vice News.

This gives users a platform to broadcast their citizen journalism to the world.

Vice News coverage of Ferguson protests (after death of 18-year old Michael Brown)

Remember, you need to add an element of citizen journalism into YOUR idea for a new TV News show for the upcoming PPE2 exam on Monday 9 March.