Civilian Journalists

Real-Time Marketing and PR Chapter 6

With social media playing such a big role in modern news the ability for civilians to share news has become a really big part of how we get our news. Many times a journalist or reporter will get information from Twitter or Facebook in order to do their news story. Places where mainstream media aren't allowed are accessible by the general populace who then post pictures, videos and stories on social media to get the word out about various things that are happening in the world.

Tumblr is a prime example of a community that takes getting news into their own hands. If you want something important or controversial spread quickly then just put it into the hands of a few Tumblr users and watch it explode. The biggest problem that I've found with Tumblr is deciding what is true, what is false and what has been exaggerated to make a point. Tumblr is a very passionate and outspoken community. There are, however, individuals who want to put out false information or make something fairly insignificant seem bigger so they elaborate or create stories. Checking facts is always a good idea when civilians, or even mainstream media, post a story.