Witness, Record, Share.
The basics of citizen journalism.
The significance of the smartphone goes well beyond convenience, it provides accessibility where we can record anything wherever, whenever. With the technology of today allowing our pocket phones to take pictures and videos in high quality — anyone can be a citizen journalist.
The process of investigation comes down to facts and evidences. Sure, you can take photos of the crime scene and recover artifacts that was left in the area — but without witnesses, your story really couldn’t come to completion.
Witness it.
This is where citizen journalists come to play — when you encounter something that is disturbing you and what you think is unfair, your memory and testimony would only go far as to being gossips in the local area, and professional journalists or investigators may jot down what you had witnessed, but who would take your word for it? Now comes to our second step.
Record it.
Even cheap and low-end cameras can still capture photos and videos that will help back-up the witnesses’ version of events, and that is why the smartphone comes in handy especially during these times with trolls and fake accounts obscuring the truth in the internet.
Share it.
And then lastly, post it to social media. It could be either Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube — creating an account is easier nowadays and let the people see what you have observed and let them judge the side of your story.
Some say there are two sides of the story, the victim and the abuser — but in my opinion, there are actually three. The spectator. Or the citizen, a bystander if you will.
With these simple gadgets and simple steps — it can aid a journalist who is out there take one step closer to the truth, and help publish the whole story to the world.
“That process of witnessing, recording, and sharing is journalism.”
— Paul Lewis
