Steve Outing: The Layers of Citizen Journalism

Steve Outing explains in his essay, "The Layers of Citizen Journalism," that there is no standard model for citizen journalism at this time. There are varying degrees of citizen participation within any given online publication, and traditional print news sources have options when it comes to how much citizen created content is contributed to online and print publication.
The hybrid news model creates two-way conversation between professional journalists and the public. Most online publications allow for readers comments and responses to some stories. This is a good start, but there are other ways that citizens can contribute, besides just leaving comments to the editor. I like the idea of "citizen add-on contributions," which can act as a side bar to a major story. Add-on contributions can turn an article into an ongoing story, and "Offer the community better and deeper coverage, than is possible with a lone professional reporter," Outing writes. By taking the idea of add-on contributions a step further, citizens can participate in the actual reporting process. I like the idea of asking readers to submit questions prior to doing interviews. This enhances the service journalists provide, and allows journalists to tailor the information to the audience's specific inquiries and needs.
Ultimately, any online news presentation from a print organization, must include some format, for example forums or blogs, that allows the public to communicate with the paper. During this digital revolution, it is important that news organizations re-build their relationship with the public. One way journalists can do that is to create "transparency" blogs. Outing writes, "This involves inviting a reader or readers to blog with public complaints, criticism, or praise for the news organizations' ongoing work." This concept goes along with the Society of Professional Journalist's guideline from their "Code of Ethics," which states, "Journalists should: Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct," and, "Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media."
News organizations will have to determine how they want to control citizen journalist content. Editors may want to monitor and edit the submissions, in order to uphold the reputation and legacy of their brand, however, it may be more wise to all citizen contributions to be published unedited to avoid legal issues like libel. The organization can attach a disclaimer to the citizen content portions of the publication, and allow other readers to monitor the material to control obscenity and false information. It is really exciting to think that there could be multiple types of content on a page, and that readers could interact with stories in various ways, adding their own contributions to give depth to a story or issue. I agree with Outing that the most important thing to achieving a balance is to clearly label the type of content that readers are seeing. This has been true of editorial vs. hard news, in the past, and it shouldn't be difficult to provide transparency about where the information is coming from. Professional journalists establish trust with their audience, and are supported by the reputation of legacy news organizations. Information from citizen journalists may be credible and accurate, but readers must learn to be skeptical of the news they consume, and the people who provide it for them.