ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the consequences of citizen journalism practice and the degree to which citizens may become more informed, knowledgeable, and engaged in their respective local communities. It attempts to uncover the differential effects of citizen journalism practice on mainstream news media in relation to citizen news media. Literature points to the generally positive outcomes of citizen journalism practices. As blogging may be considered a form of citizen journalism, the benefits of blogging may also be attributed to citizen journalism practices. Three separate hierarchical multiple regressions were used for each survey in order to assess the predictors for outcomes of citizen journalism practice —neighborhood belonging, collective efficacy, and civic participation. The chapter focuses on factors that predict citizen journalism outcomes—namely, neighborhood belonging, collective efficacy, and civic participation. Overall, citizen journalism practice variables surfaced as predictors twice—for neighborhood belonging and civic participation.
