Millions of “citizen journalists” are doing very well when it comes to the first part of their job description. This is according to anyone who has ever read a blog that is dressed up as a news source.
Websites like Citizens’ Report, The Enraged Patriot, Daily News Today and Democracy Bridge all show “a keen interest in engaging fellow citizens in today’s most important political and news issues,” says pretty much every reader. “However,” they say, “much work remains to be done in adhering to journalistic principles.”
“These sites are run by earnest citizens who truly desire to present news,” people who read them say. “But more often than not, they mix conspiracy theory, pundit talking points and plain inaccurate information — and regurgitate them as news.”
“It would be nice if they’d consider common principles of journalism like accuracy, fairness, and independence,” readers say. “But hey, you can’t have it all. Keep up the good work, citizen journalists.”