'Citizen journalism' breaking out all over NowPublic Leads the Way

A global cyberspace newsroom, staffed by self-appointed chroniclers armed with digital cameras and cellphones

Shelley Fralic ,  Vancouver SunPublished: Saturday, March 22, 2008

If there is an example that best defines the new media phenomenon known as citizen journalism, it would be Hurricane Katrina.

When the devastating storm hit New Orleans in late 2005, a newly launched Vancouver-based website called NowPublic had 2,000 "reporters" on the ground, filing stories, photos and videos directly on to the website from the literal eye of the storm, minutes, hours and even days before mainstream broadcast and print media, with its limited staff and cumbersome equipment, knew what hit it.

Another example, closer to home, would be the announcement recently that more than 40 disabled B.C. students are applying for special journalist accreditation that would see them officially "reporting" on the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics for a website called Virtual Voices Village..

Citizen journalism, also known as public or participatory journalism, is the latest media buzzword and, if you haven't put a name to it, you've certainly been a party to it, whether you logged on to

Torato.com during the Pickton trial to read the court reports posted by former prostitutes, or whether you are a faithful, if closet, devotee of Perez Hilton's online celebrity coverage.

As "journalism," it's perhaps best described as a global cyberspace newsroom staffed by the public, who, armed with a variety of electronic devices like digital cameras and cellphones, and an Internet connection, become self-appointed chroniclers simply by virtue of being somewhere when news breaks out.

Citizen journalism is about timing and numbers and, most importantly, democracy, according to Michael Tippett.

Tippett is 38 and his Internet credentials include The Webpool Syndicate, a pioneering Canadian Internet venture, co-founded NowPublic in 2005.

The idea that everyday people can use the power of the Web to report on the events that matter to them in their backyards and in their interest areas--and do it better than professional journalists or talking heads employed by large media organizations--has gained some traction. A lot of people are disappointed with traditional media outlets and turn to blogs, social news services, and citizen journalism sites like NowPublic to see the news through the eyes of the regular person.