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Beyond the Pro/Am SchismOpportunities for Collaboration between Professional and Citizen Journalists under a Produsage Framework

Dr Axel BrunsMedia & Communication

Queensland University of Technologya.bruns@qut.edu.au – snurb.info

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Citizen Journalism

‒ Common themes:• deliberative journalism

∘ greater role for commenting and discussion∘ but: fragmented, inconclusive, easily distracted

• hyperlocal coverage∘ covering themes and places ignored by the mainstream∘ but: interest horizon limits comprehensive coverage

• “Estate 4.5” (Jane Singer)∘ a watchdog for the watchdogs – gatewatching, not gatekeeping∘ but: limited in its effects, despite well-known successes

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Industrial Journalism

‒ Common themes:• comprehensive coverage

∘ industry structure supports long-term investigative journalism projects∘ but: decline in funding and staffing, increased reliance on newswires

• professional ethics∘ objectivity and impartiality as key ideals of journalism∘ but: no more than ideals, due to commercial and political pressures

• journalists as dedicated experts∘ quality sources, quality research, quality writing∘ but: routine worldviews, limited insight into complex topics

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Experts and Amateurs‒ Case study: Possums Pollytics during the 2007 Australian election

• blogger specialising in psephology (analysis of public opinion polls)• rose to wider recognition in public stoushes with The Australian’s

election analysts (esp. Dennis Shanahan)∘ “sheltered academics and failed journalists who would not get a job on a real

newspaper”; “we understand Newspoll because we own it” (12 July 2007)∘ “statistical bloggers forever complain … and essentially want polls to be

banished from newspapers and public debate except during an election”(21 Feb. 2008)

• Who’s the expert here?∘ cf. Dan Gillmor: “my readers know more than I do” ∘ professional journalists vs. amateur journalists, but also∘ professional psephologists vs. (very) amateur psephologists

scientific expertise (in psephology) trumps expert craftsmanship (in journalism)

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Citizens and Journalists

‒ Beyond ‘us vs. them’ mentality• citizens as sources (breadth of coverage):

∘ first-hand witnesses from ‘hyperlocal’ places and fields

• citizens as experts (depth):∘ in-depth knowledge of specialist domains

• citizens as organisers (length over time):∘ ongoing management of information flows

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dimensions ofnews coverage

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citizenjournalism

Extending News Coverage

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industryjournalism

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New News Models

‒ Beyond news production – enabling citizen participation:• more space for involvement of users as content creators• more fluid roles of involvement in news processes• “a small cathedral” supporting a large bazaar (Ian Skerrett)• status of contributors determined more by track record than by position

(active participation, not static expertise) equipotential, heterarchical organisation of the news process

‒ Beyond news as product – enabling news extensibility:• news reports flexible, not finished at time publication• discussion and commentary as standard element of any news story• news as product news as process• journalism as profession / craft journalism as capacity / skill

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News Produsage

‒ Produsage:• collaborative and continuous building and extending of existing content

in pursuit of further improvement (e.g. open source, Wikipedia, …)• some key principles:

∘ communal evaluation of contributions and contributors∘ fluid heterarchy of participants as determined by ad hoc meritocracy∘ continuing process of content creation with unfinished artefacts

reshaping of news from conflict stories to information dossiers repositioning of journalists from sole authors to community leaders

• early examples: OhmyNews – Youdecide2007 – Off the Bus – myHeimat

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Shameless Plug

snurb.infogatewatching.orgprodusage.org