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  crespi1 year ago

  The Neocons are running scared at the thought of American's expressing themselves in an uncensored manner.

  The incredible malfeasance of this administration can only continue if no one notices, no one looks, no one cares, or no one speaks up for America and her "admired by the world" freedoms that are so obviously in jeopardy, from within.

  The Right has dumbed down, bought out, pushed over, and shut up the Mainstream Media, as it's called.

  Television "news" reporting is often months or even years behind the blog reporters.

  That's because real reporters are gone from the general media. When CNN sent a guy overseas to disprove the "Obama is a Muslim" rumors the CNN reporter was almost beside himself with happiness and awe. He kept saying how happy he was and this was so unusual for CNN to send reporters anywhere to verify a story.(!)

  Blogs are the future of jornalism and that's why Neocon corporations like Time/Warner must eat them.

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    libsRfunny1 year ago

    "The Neocons are running scared at the thought of American's expressing themselves in an uncensored manner."

    Really? Then why is it the only ones actively pursuing censorship are lefties wanting to stifle conservative talk radio? And why is it the Bush admin has done all it can to protect the rights of morons like the Dixie Chicks to spout their inane opinions?

    "Citizen" journalism is a problem when fools think they are journalists and start writing falsehoods, plagiarizing stories and quotes (right radiofreeeuropa?) and causing harm to innocent people. THAT is the danger of "citizen" journalism. Citizen journalism is as healthful as letting vigilantes determine justice.

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      crespi1 year ago

      Right wing pundits are certainly not journalists either.

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  Radiofreeeuropa1 year ago

  I agree with Crespi. If mainstream news had been doing it's journalistic duty the rise of blogs would not have materialized to any significant extent. The cable news networks now have "reporters" who report on the blogs. How's that for irony? I believe that a new modern application/rethinking of the antitrust laws needs to be applied to media. At 1 time you could only own 1 station

  ( newspaper, radio station, TV station, etc.)in a given market, now through the magic of K street bribery a company or 2 can own the entire market. Corporate conglomeration of media has killed the free press. It's last dieing gasps are coming from blogs. Are all blogs valuable? No of course not but look at broadcasts from corporate media. Is there value in endless chatter about OJ, Paris Hilton, or whatever nincompoop is in rehab this week? No. They are defending the valuable service provided many years ago by a once independent news media that sadly is dead.

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    populist1 year ago

    exactly. it's market driven. The only reason blogs and citizen journalists are becoming more successful is because people are reading them more and more. plain and simple.

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  jaern1 year ago

  I love this:

  "The fact-checking and source corroboration involved in mainstream media are usually absent from citizen journalism."

  Seems to me that after 9/11 and the whole Iraq war issues, citizen journalism couldn't do any worse than the established media.

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  Charlson1 year ago

  Citizen journalists are a good thing. They have no vested interest except their own interest. The establishment, whether in government, business or journalism, does not want to relinquish their controls on mass media. The wrong message, according to them, would get out.

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  libsRfunny1 year ago

  "Citizen journalists are a good thing. They have no vested interest except their own interest."

  WRONG! Most have an axe to grind and an agenda to push. That is what makes them dangerous - that and the hubris/ignorance often coinciding with "citizen" journalists who haven't a clue about things like the Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act, intellectual property and plagiarism, right, radiofreeeuropa?

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  djn3nunez31 year ago

  What world does he live in? All his concerns in the following passage exist now in the MSM.

  "Other concerns are bias, conflicts of interest, and credibility. Some citizen journalists might submit reports to promote certain agendas.

  Of course, there is the potential for scams, fraud, and doctored photos and video. People might stage phony incidents. The fact-checking and source corroboration involved in mainstream media are usually absent from citizen journalism."

  What fact checking? Hell, they let the White house write the stories for them.

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  uncle-dave1 year ago

  There isn't a problem with citizen journalists, the problem lies in the 24/7 cable news outlets that all want to be FIRST in getting the story out. They are constantly speculating about "breaking news" stories as they unfold and instead of going to another story until more "facts" come in their talking heads continue to talk while never saying anything worthwhile.

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    1bluepen1 year ago

    They are actually usually late quite late in reporting things. For example, pastors to cite romans 13 to not resist goverment in case of martial law, was well documented over a year ago on the internet but has only been in the mainstream news in the last few weeks.

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  GrainOfSand1 year ago

  I agree that news is not really news any more. It's all about ratings. I watched FOX NEWS the other day and all they had on there were FOX NEWS ALERTS, like every 15 minutes there is some sort of breaking news 24/7. Give me a break.

  FOX NEWS ALERT! Bush drops Barney the dog! OMG!

  FOX NEWS ALERT! There's a thunderstorm over Tuscon! OMG!

  FOX NEWS ALERT! Car Chase In California!

  Is this all this "drama news" really necessary?

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  sezwho1 year ago

  Gotta agree Grain... Unfortunately Fox is changing the way we define the news. The things affecting our lives the most, like the economy, energy policy, the environment are used as fillers between house fires, car crashes, thunderstorms over Tuscon. We are only being given that which we want.

  I think citizen journalism is doing to the printed media what Fox News has done to the broadcast media newscasts are the ultimate reality program. But there are plenty of options for hard news that is credible, trustworthy, honest and as objective as possible.

  I don't think it's a matter of Neocons fearing freedom of speech. I think it's more of a matter of citizen journalism not delivering credibility and objectivity. It hasn't proven itself.

  I think minimum standards, training and continuing education; maybe some sort of informal certification will do a lot for citizen journalism. Whether we like it or not, it's here to stay and will only get bigger.

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  DarkWizard1 year ago

  The "mainstream" media act as if they are more credible than the World Weekly News or The National Enquirer! The ability to post and blog on stories is news because of the immediate impact we have on any given story.

  We are the news because we are the immediate critics of any story that comes to light. We can't be ignored because we don't have a vested interest or earned income from our statements! We are the last bastion of "free" press and the mainstream IS scared.

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  Dave591 year ago

  Sad fact here... we let Faux News, Certified Nut Network and others tell us what they want to say. I say screw them and their crap. They most often don't show any standards of training or certification before they allow some of the freaking trash I see on air. These people are supposed to be trained professionals.

  They have no minimum standards it seems so why would anyone ask for that from ordinary citizens who choose to report some news?

  If you, sezwho would like to pay for this "continuing education" I will applaud your efforts.

  My thought is most of these people can't afford that or do not have time.

  And though some of them make no sense a lot of these citizen reporters do make sense.

  In the end I will say this no matter what it is each of those individuals right to say what ever they want under the First amendment, just like Faux News and CNN.

  I have to disagree with anything that smacks of a licence (certification) to speak ones mind.

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  Radiofreeeuropa1 year ago

  Cue the frightful music and fade in the images of impending doom in the background as prescribed political talking points scroll across the bottom of the screen...while (insert talking head of your choice) says with a straight face, "but the big news is (insert moronic bimbo of your choice here) has entered rehab again". Or declaring that a dead overweight drugged up bimbo hooker "is American Royalty" (Larry King). I find it hard to accept that this is what "Americans" or anyone else wants. This method of "reporting" can only appeal to the absolute lowest IQ. Now I suggest there are not as many troglodytes dragging their knuckles on the floors of American homes as corporate media wants you to believe. (Although I have encountered a few here on the threads). They do appear to be a minority.

  If it was strictly about appealing to the lowest common denominator they would all be showing porn 24 hours a day.

  Now that would get the ratings.

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    Radiofreeeuropa1 year ago

    But It's not really about that, it's about doping up, injecting harmones and fattening up the cows for the slaughterhouse. You know as well as I that money and power, the multinational corporate complex, has become the staple of the American political diet.

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      Radiofreeeuropa1 year ago

      This situation has become so dire, that our fourth estate the media, once called the free press and believed by the founders to provide vigilant scrutiny and opposition to those who seek to bring tyranny to this nation, has also been seized by this same multi-national corporate complex. The sad thing is that it is just not in the United States that this ever-present entity has become the controlling interest in politics and the media, the same can be said of all industrial G-10 nations to some degree. Americans, or for that matter, Canadians, British, French, German or any other so-called 1st World citizens that believe that they are living in a democratic country are actually living in an illusion created, fostered, and supported by the very same complex that denies us our rights to interfere with their agenda.

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        gamahuche1 year ago

        As far as news quality, diverse political viewpoints and plain readability I'd take the British press any day over the US Press, especially the Guardian, the Independent and the BBC. All of these may seem "left-leaning" in US terms but a wise reader can read between the lines anyway as long as the information is available in a readable form. I read plenty of WP, NYT and IHT articles too and at their best they're excellent but they frequently tend to be dominated by "house style" and excessive caution about making mistakes.

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  OldRusty1 year ago

  Most news paper articles are written on about the eight grade level, yellow journalism is quite common.Why support such a system?

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  PsychoHosebeast1 year ago

  It's unfortunate to say, but as long as idiots are allowed to blather their opinion as if it's truth, and don't have to answer for their actions, then "citizen journalism" will remain a joke primarily based in lies.

  And anyone that claims that mainstream media is no better needs to look again--they have to accept responsibility through ruined careers, endless public ridicule, and possibly being thrown in jail. Anyone saying the nightly news is less reliable than some neo-nazi blog from northern Idaho, published by a guy using the pen name "Adolf Eichmann" is a friggin' idiot. Yeah, you say, but I can judge the difference--that works fine for you, but consider, there are people that listen to Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly and actually claim that's the news and the truth.

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