I’m trying to get my arms around this whole subject of “citizen journalism.” Where at one time our biggest dilemma was trying to figure out if a local stringer was the real deal, we are now confronted with any private person with a camera phone being able to call themselves a journalist. This is not some cottage industry. CNN, Fox and a host of newspapers like the Washington Times all encourage citizen journalism.
This encouragement might be self serving in many instances. With budget constraints hurting newsroom coverage, this empowerment of a citizen force of reporters allows media to get photos and videos of events that they could never have current access to.
I fear that a citizen jounalist watching the fireground, with the power to film and comment could be taken as hard news and accurate reporting to a viewer or reader. Although I have seen some stellar amateur reporting on CNN’s iReport, other outlets with limited scrutiny, vetting or editing are allowing inaccurate, shoddy and inarticulate news to circulate.
On the other hand should we assist and embrace a retired firefighter with great firematic knowledge, who is trustworthy and articulate and wants to join the corps of citizen journalists?
Many colleagues that I talk to are saying that PIO’s should provide more access to citizen journalists. But how do we vet them? Do we give them credentials? Do we provide the same access rights as mainstream media? What recourse do we have for inaccurate or slanderous reporting? Should we allow our personnel to be interviewed? These are just some quick thoughts that come to mind.
Has anyone dealt with citizen journalists or does your department have a policy pertaining to them?
This is like the early Wild West days of anyone becoming an expert if they built a website or posted on a blog.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Watch out for the Reporter who Flips the Script – October 21, 2010
- They all acted Stupidly – October 6, 2010
- The PIO Should Keep Homeowners Informed on the Fire Ground – November 2, 2010
- Smartphone’s will become our Virtual PIO Command Posts – October 20, 2010
If you get your arms around it is really irrelevant – you can either get into it and be prepared for the citizen journalist, or you can be unprepared for the citizen journalist, in which case you’ll be at a disadvantage when (not if) you are confronted with one.
I feel I fit the description for a citizen journalist because of my current situation (citizen journal-ing for my own web site (http://howardfire.net) and not being affiliated with the department I’m covering). I feel I’ve built a fairly decent relationship with the department, and my inquiries are most often answered quickly and thoroughly.
The only real issue I’ve run into has been scene access, and that’s been an issue with the police, not the fire service. Contacting the fire chief, as well as elected officials, has brought the problem to further light but honestly, I don’t know if the issue has been resolved, as I haven’t run any calls since then.
I will, however, say that the county executive has been absolutely exemplary in personifying both transparency and pushing information via social media.
Regarding false light, inaccurate and slanderous reporting, I would hold the person to whom the article is attributed to the same standard you would a real reporter – contact the person, try to iron out the mistake or misunderstanding as best you can, and move on.
If the citizen journalist is playing the role of a journalist, I would group them with the media – place them in the media staging area, include them with any pool shots (so long as other media members are OK with it), etc. Credentials may be another issue, one I’m not sure of.
To blacklist the person for future communications could, in my opinion, put you (and your department) at a further disadvantage (“why wasn’t I included in your press release mail out?” and such) and only exacerbate problems. Control the problem, just as you control the message.
Just my thoughts.
It’s an interesting discussion. The other side of the coin is with more and more legitimate news sites with specific focuses on Public Safety and geared toward a public safety audience, what would be appropriate in dealing with them?
Should a news site or news paper that is focused on Public Safety have more access then say mainstream media? Should they be allowed to report from inside the lines? Personal opinion is they should have slightly better access, since reporting is typically geared toward a more refined audience and not general in nature.
I would love to see your thoughts on this, preferably in an upcoming blog entry if possible.
If I had my way, I’d do something along the lines of what Phoenix has done with their certified fire journalists.
Maryland Fire & Rescue’s on the right track with some degree of fire familiarization, but it seems to be limited to just the congressional staff; I’d like to see it expanded to the media. Check it out at http://www.phoenix.gov/FIRE/cfj.html
Thanks for the heads up Doug. The Certified Fire Journalist Media Academy in Phoenix looks like an amazing program that covers all the bases. It is a great incentive to participate when a journalist knows at the end that they can utilize gear and have closer access to the fire ground.
Phoenix and LAFD are definitely on the ball. They’re not the only ones, but they’re definitely major players.
I’d be curious to hear your opinion about my recent blog post regarding Disney’s AED program.
Here’s the URL:
http://ems12lead.blogspot.com/2010/02/pathetic-response-by-disney.html
I don’t consider myself a “citizen journalist” as much as a blogger with a particular area of expertise.
Disney dropped the ball and never got back to me.
Now my blog post is the top Google hit for “Disney’s AED program” and the headline reads “Pathetic response by Disney”.
In contrast, Keith Lurie MD of Advanced Circulatory Systems jumped at the chance to be interviewed about a recent clinical trial involving their device called the ResQPOD.
http://ems12lead.blogspot.com/2010/01/interview-with-keith-lurie-md.html
My interview is now the top Google hit for “ResQPOD ROC PRIMED trial” (even though it’s through Wellsphere which is mirroring Paramedicine 101).
I think you ignore the new media at your own peril.
As for whether or not “citizen journalists” deserve as much access as the “legitimate media” it seems to me that the “legitimate media” derives their legitimate power from the fact that they are citizens with a right to know.
For a public entity, the question is, “Do you have the right to deny access to any citizen?”
Tom
Group: Firefighter, Rescue & EMS Network
Great idea, in theory. Unfortunately, there are probably waaaay too many out there with an axe to grind and whatever they produce will be hopelessly one-sided.
Posted by Dan Dustin, CEM