ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ways in which social journalism might be able to compete with the failing News Establishment. As Julia Haslanger describes social journalism it is about connecting professional journalists with the audiences and communities they serve through sharing stories, finding stories and involving community members with the news product. The first great experimental wave in citizen journalism was the “Indymedia” movement of Independent Media Centers established by protest groups during a meeting of the World Trade Organization. To be truly effective social journalism needs audiences to move beyond being passive monitorial citizens. Social journalism needs activated and active audiences who can participate effectively in news gathering, writing, editing and distribution—including the good use of audio and video—and who work independently, or in collaboration with more professional newsroom cadre. The doing of social journalism is made possible by social media, which means that both critical consumption and the possibility of critical production are opened up to larger populations.
