What is "citizen journalism", and at 17 how can I get involved?

Question

I'm completely serious about starting my journalism career right now. I love to write and when I apply to colleges I want to have some sort of portfolio or work of mine to show them.

So that's why I want to start a blog. But then I came across all these things saying "Citizen Journalism".

What exactly is it? How can I get started doing it? Do you think that starting a blog is a good idea for someone my age? Any advice at all would help me greatly.

Answer 1

I do not trust citizen journalism for the sheer fact that a large majority of "journalists" have zero credentials and zero knowledge of how to properly report a story. Journalism is intended to be objective. Whether it is is of course left to speculation and debate.

Citizen journalism namely relies on every day people like you, myself, and the rest of society to write about a particular event happening in the world. Their "obtained" knowledge about what is happening in the world, often from other more legitimate news sources. Some write locally, others write statewide, others still write nationally or globally.

Professional, credible writers I would trust. Unknown people just randomly writing blogs I would not. Too many facts, opinions, quotes, and sources to simply be manipiulated.

Speaking as a former journalist myself, it takes a good amount of reporting knowledge, ability to obtain sources, and knowing how to properly quote a person or source. Knowing what on background, off background, and on deep background means. Most every day people outside of journalists, writers, and well-known figures know what they mean.

If you want to develop a solid portfolio, write for your college paper and look for freelance opportunities. It will be far better for your career to develop a professional portfolio from credible sources than just a blog.

EDIT:

I answered your question from MY knowledge based on journalism experirence. And I am simply telling you that blogs are not necessarily a good thing. Getting freelance experience from CREDIBLE organizations is.

Don't be so rude.