This reached its pinnacle when the Guardian published a video showing newspaper salesman, Ian Tomlinson, being hit and pushed to the ground by a police officer shortly before he collapsed and died. The video was shot by an American fund manager visiting London.
The incident has triggered an investigation by the Police Complaints Commission and a second post mortem, because the first said Mr Tomlinson died of natural causes.
The citizen journalist has played a crucial role in highlighting this potential injustice and holding public services to account. Looked at in this light, the citizen journalist can reinforce the role and responsibilities of the media.
But if unquestioned, the citizen journalist can also mislead with the images and videos they take.
Watching the coverage of the protests it was difficult to make out who was actually protesting and who was there to take photos and capture the moment based on the sheer number of phones and cameras on show.
Speaking to a friend in London, he said it wasn’t that bad or that crowded despite the hype in the media beforehand.
It is becoming inherent in popular culture to record life through videos and photos and share them with lots of people on blogs and social networking sites.
Questions of the accuracy of video have always been around because they have a tendency to capture a snapshot of a far bigger event. However these questions need to be stronger now cameras are in the hands of so many and sensational content is in increasing demand.
As journalists, let’s welcome the greater interaction with the public to generate quality content. But let’s also remain vigilant in ensuring the content is reflective of what is actually happening in line with the values of impartiality and accuracy. Only then will citizen journalism and add and not retract from journalism.
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