Conclusion

I created this wiki to start a constructive conversation about the relationship between citizen and professional journalists. The overarching argument behind the content you find here is that this relationship has more synergy than rivalry. Although the interactions between professional and citizen reporters pose challenges to news production, an assertive approach to the relationship improves the chances of enhancing the practice of journalism as a whole.

          This assertive approach to the relationship between professional and citizen journalism starts by having a solid notion of what these two types of journalism are. Therefore, I dedicated the first and second sections of this wiki to the discussion of different definitions of professional and citizen journalism, respectively. These sections provide a starting point to the discussion about how professional journalism has been impacted by audience participation, which has increased in recent years thanks to the rise of new media technologies.

          The third section delves into the ways in which citizen journalists are useful to mainstream media’s news production. There you can find how citizen journalists fill in when traditional media outlets are unable to provide timely and accurate coverage. This is a general recognition of professional journalists’ lack of ubiquity. Despite the size and number of existing media organizations, the world is just too large. It is impossible for professional journalists to be everywhere. However, citizens are more likely to be everywhere, and to be willing to share what they witness.

          Finally, the fourth section explores the challenges that rise from the involvement of citizen journalism in mainstream media’s news production. The section derives from an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both professional and citizen journalism that goes beyond mere denunciation. It is useless to hammer either type of journalism for their obvious (and inevitable) flaws. Therefore, for the sake of a constructive discussion about this topic one should think critically of professional and citizen journalism’s limitations in order to find the areas in which they complement each other, and develop more efficient mechanisms to enable meaningful interactions between journalists and their audiences.

          This wiki is a work in progress, and there are still many interesting elements related to citizen and professional journalism that are worth exploring. These are some of the questions that come to my mind right know, and that should definitely be addressed in order to expand this wiki:

* How do new technologies facilitate audience participation?
* Which devices and applications have impacted more meaningfully audience participation in the mainstream media news production?
* What is social media’s role in the interaction between professional and citizen journalists?

The expansion and improvement of this wiki is not only in my hands, though. At the end of every section of this wiki, you will find me asking for your contributions in very specific ways. Basically, I ask for information that is relevant to the topic I discuss in every individual section. Now, in the Ground Rules section, I explain how I would like you to make your contributions to the wiki, how I will moderate the discussion, and how you can contact me. Our discussions will be better if we all are on the same page.

For now you can help me with brainstorming. What other sections or topics should I include in this wiki? Let me know about your ideas in the comments section below, and let’s keep the discussion going!