A Discussion On Citizen Journalism

“Citizen Journalism” is a loaded phrase, one that people in the news business have come to loathe or love. In February, Connecticut SPJ will host a discussion on acts of journalism by citizens at a program co-hosted by The Register Citizen in Torrington.

We hope to engage journalists and citizens alike in a dialogue about the role the public now plays in news production, and ways that both groups can strive to uphold journalistic and ethical standards in the process.

The program is not intended to be a debate about whether citizens SHOULD be involved. That debate certainly has merits, and has played out in other places.

This program is intended to be a more focused conversation on HOW both groups can collaborate to better inform the public about important news — and on WHAT are the implications of involving the “people formerly known as the audience” in the process.

The Register Citizen office is the perfect location for the program. The paper’s “Newsroom Cafe” invites members of the public inside the newsroom to learn from, teach and interact with the newspaper staff.

But you don’t have to wait until the program on Feb. 4 to start talking about Citizen Journalism.

In the weeks before this joint program, CTSPJ will publish some different blog posts about “citizen journalism” that aim to inform and raise questions about the practice.

We hope that you will contribute your thoughts here in the comment section.