ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the ideals of citizen journalism. Citizen journalism has multiple possible originations, including attempts to tie it to the communications of American revolutionaries in their independence war against Britain. It is often viewed as synonymous with other labels for new genres of journalism: participatory journalism, networked journalism, hyperlocal journalism, crowd-sourced journalism, and user-generated content. Mainstream journalists are repeatedly described as unable or unwilling to share their production processes with those outside the profession. One of the key areas of contention concerning citizen journalism is its relationship with mainstream news media and the ways in which it may or may not be able to contribute to professional news. This relationship embodies a tension between professional control and the need to respond to the rise of citizen-produced content. Mainstream journalists are repeatedly described as unable or unwilling to share their production processes with those outside the profession.
