Often people who aren't already intrigued by citizen journalism wonder why others love it, and work hard to create it. On June 15, YourHub.com contributor Francis Miller wrote eloquently about how he perceives the significance of YourHub.com.
If you don't enjoy or don't understand citizen journalism, this essay is worth a read. It may not make you love citizen journalism, but it probably will help you understand why many people do.
Miller wrote, "The national news media takes four or five stories and beats them to death. ...But, if you go to YourHub.com, the variety is immense and changing by the hour. It is like a New England town meeting. It is an alternative reality that is more connected to the lives we live with our kids in school, our workplace, and the everyday places we inhabit. It is real, not abstract or disconnected."
I think Miller makes a very good point there, although it's more about relevance than significance. Citizen journalism and participatory media directly reflect the sprawling variety of what people are interested in and experiencing. It is an attempt to convey the news as people perceive and experience it, rather than how it's defined and delivered to them by news organizations.
Sure, people can publish their own sites or blogs to express themselves -- and millions do. But it's also valuable and valid for people to publish their own news, their own way. Just because it doesn't look like your familiar idea of "news" doesn't mean it's a problem.
So if you aren't really into citJ, try viewing it as a way to learn what's news to people on a real-life level, from the daily grind to watershed events. Look at it as context for a community. Don't expect it to mirror mainstream news, because that's not the point. It doesn't need to aspire to the same goals.
See if that makes a difference to how you feel about it.
(Thanks to Travis Henry, editor of YourHub.com, for the tip.)
