The Media Industry is changing. The coexistence of Professional photojournalism and citizen journalism and its problems

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Art - Photography and Film, grade: 1,3, ( Middlesex University in London ) (Art & Design), language: English, abstract: Journalism and the whole media industry as we know them today are changing dramatically. Through the rapid development of smart phones and the improvement of cameras we are noticing a dramatic change in the way journalism is used and how photojournalism is affected. The usage of ¿citizen journalism¿ has increased hundredfold and it is still rising.

In this dissertation I want to take a closer look on this new phenomenon to discover if it is becoming a problem for professional photojournalists and if it affects the way how images are published.

Every professional news agency today has many further sources ¿ such as twitter, Flickr or Facebook - to choose from, which is advantageous on the one hand, but isn¿t it a step in a direction that could let professional photojournalism ¿die¿?

But what are the reasons for that? Is it the next logical step in the development of photojournalism or is it ¿killing¿ the classical photojournalism, as we know it?

In this dissertation I want to find out how professionals and citizen journalists coexist and what are the possible problems that this relationship could cause.

To understand what citizen journalism is in detail, I want to take a closer look at the three variations that this kind of journalism has for me. To find a precise definition is not easy, as this kind of journalism is relatively new and even sources like Wikipedia don`t find a clear answer.

1. Accidential Journalists

In the broader sense, all eyewitnesses with a smartphone are accidential journalists, as they witness a situation because they pass by.

2. Amateur Journalists

A good example for amateur journalists are bloggers

who might do a lot of research and try to expose hidden issues.

3. Citizen Journalists

Citizens with a clear vision and political or humanistic interests are best suitable for the term ¿citizen journalist¿.