Response to Article in Comm315 reader:
:What Ethics Should Bloggers Have?:
:Written by - Dan Gillmor:

This article talks about the ethics that blogger's should follow. ethics, according to the article, instill trust in the information provided. The problem with Citizen Journalism is that there is no set rules or "code of conduct" if you will, to which Citizen Journalists need to adhere to. This means that individuals can post onto the net anything they choose to, regardless of factors such as accuracy of information. According to the article, ethics are about honor, "unless we act with honor we cannot expect peoples trust". Unfortunately it is not possible to force people into being ethical in what they present online however the article mentions a WEBSITE that has been adapted for bloggers as an ethics code list which the article feels is a worthy effort of promoting ethics to Citizen Journalists.

A basic structural outline for good journalism, according to the article, consists of:

• Thoroughness - gaining as much information about a topic as you can before writing about it.
  

• Accuracy - making sure you have factual information and state both what you do and dont know.
  

• Fairness - listen to different points of view and incorporate them into your writing.
  

• Transparency - link to source material as much as possible.
  

• Independence - be independent in your research.
  

Citizen Journalist Ethics Website

Citizen Journalism:
Citizen journalism is an interesting and controversial topic. It's focus is on just that which the title suggests, Citizen journalism. Citizens in all countries of the world, through the creation of blogs and blogging, are now able to project their own views, interests and opinions to other individuals around the world. This new technology has seen a new generation of journalists emerge, citizen journalists, which means that anyone and everyone with access to a computer and internet are able to post their views and experiences to the world. What was once an elite dominated domain is now open ground for the world’s people.


Benefits of Citizen Journalism:

• Allows insight into the interests and opinions of individuals from all around the world.

• Allows an individual to post their interests, opinions and findings to the world.

• Gives ordinary individuals a voice in the world.

• Provides uncensored information (Traditional journalists and media outlets sensor a lot of their information.

• Provides access to information that traditional journalists may not be able to get hold of.

• Not bound by rules and regulations, however best practice follows ethical values.

• Easy to become a Citizen Journalist.

• It has made the world smaller by connecting individuals with similar interests.
  

Disadvantages of Citizen Journalism:

• Possibility of unreliable information.

• The effect of journalism is diluted

• Personal information can be tracked and viewed