The Rise And Rise Of UGC

1) What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?
A citizen journalist is a person who writes about news themselves, this is mostly done online. The main websites where citizen journalists posts their news is on Googles Blogger Website. This allows them to post up any news they would like to share. Furthermore, what makes them a citizen journalist is them being opinionated where they write up their own opinions on a certain story they have published. This is what a citizen journalist is. 

2) What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?
One of the first news reports generated by an ordinary person was in america. The local police department had been in a high speed chase with an african american citizen. Once the police had captured and stopped the chase, from a window nearby where the beating took place a local had filmed the police officers using their power in a negative way. After being filmed by the ordinary person the video had been sent to a news station. The television station then had aired the footage that was recorded by the ordinary person making this user generated content. The footage showed the police beating up the african american with golf clubs and violating the individual. This was possible due to the new technology that has been evolving over the years, becoming more easier to use and available to the public at cheaper prices. This allows more ordinary people to re

3) List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.

• Comments section on news articles online 
• Apps which allow video footage to be sent to institutions 
• institutions have allowed ordinary people to ask questions which may be answered 
• Facebook 
• Twitter 
• Youtube 
• Blogger 

4) What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?
Professional footage is shot from behind police lines not up in personal with the situation. The first hand footage is taken live as the situation is happening rather than after. This would allow people to se exactly what happened and is usually more powerful. 

5) What is a gatekeeper?
A gatekeeper is a person in which is professionally trained at obtaining the news and is in charge of what is shown and whats kept back. They are the ones that are in charge of the news and chose what to tell people. 

6) How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?
The gatekeeper role is under threat due to them may be becoming extinct, those people becoming redundant. This is due to people becoming more involved with the media online. They are now able to make their own news and find out for them selves about the news from other online users. This makes the gatekeepers useless to many that rely on the news that they get form other online users.

7) What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?
One of the primary concerns held by journalists is that they may also become redundant like the gate keepers. This is simply due to the fact that people are becoming journalists with out being professionally trained, by simply using social media or other websites like blogger to find out information or to post their own for others to view, which again makes them useless to people who have moved on from traditional media.

• examples
• theory (audience reception etc.) 
• benefits to institutions 
• benefits to audience 
• wider issues and debates 
• SHEP

The institutions would benefit a lot from user generated content as they will be receiving videos and pictures of situations that may occur. This would mean that the institutions would be getting the news story first before any other news channel gets it. This would also benefit them as they would not have to waste time to go get a clip of the story as they have received some already. The best thing is that when the users record the videos or take the pictures, they take them whilst its happening, making sure true stories don't turn in to made up stories. The audience would benefit from user generated content as they would be proud that they have sent out a story which has been aired or contributed towards the final story that would be shown on live TV. This may also assure them that the true story does come out as the news is not able to twist it due to the users having a bit of power. This would also make the audience feel as if they're opinions are valued in the world and by national/international institutions. This would allow audiences to get their messages across and be able to share their opinions/thoughts or stories. Some of the wider issues that may occur is that some of the user generated content may be avoided meaning the institutions may not want to show on air or on websites of peoples opinions or comments. Institutions may also not take into consideration audiences comments almost blocking them out and leaving the gatekeepers do their jobs. This would cause issues as people may be fuming that their voices are not getting heard by institutions such as the BBC. However, this may be due to the fact that the institutions do not agree or find them irrelevant. This backs up Andrew Keens theory of people typing down nonsense, false information.

This social side to user generated content is that people get their voices heard which back in the olden days was not possible, this is due to the new and digital media which is advancing everyday. This allows people to do more and contribute towards today's news for example. This would also mean that some of the people that provide content which is generated by ordinary people to get paid for their services. For example if a person was to film an accident happen they would be able to sell it on to an institution that would be able to broadcast it live on air. Politicians are now able to interact with audiences and share out user generated content through the use of social media. This includes sites like Twitter where people are able to message and tweet about politicians. This could influence the politicians as they may take into consideration what they have heard and seen online.


What impact is new/digital media having on the following:

• news stories
• the news agenda (the choice of stories that make up the news)
• the role of professionals in news

User generated content is having big impacts on news stories as they are able now to speak the truth online through social networking. They are able to for example tweet about institutions. They are now also able to contribute to news stories by providing institutions with evidence with pictures or videos which may help with the story through making it clearer and to prove the story is as accurate as it seems, or even change the whole story. Through user generated constant the news are now able to see what people want to see on the news, to see what is trending online so that they are able to interest more of the population to watch the news as everyone is talking about it. This is through social media sites and also face to face. The roles of professionals in the institutions in news they are under attack. Since the audience are making the news and providing the news for the institutions professionals are under  lot of pressure as they struggle to compete with the user generated constant obtained by institutions through new and digital media. The roles of professionals in news are the reporters who go out to film and talk about what's happening. There are also the gate keepers that decide what goes on the news, however we see that people may not want what the gatekeepers show on the news, coming back to my point where UGC influences what institutions show.