Citizen Journalism

Everyone knows that the media controls everything. It is the most influential source of information for people. Unfortunately, it is very rare to find a source that is completely unbiased. It is also rare to find a source that gives you all of the facts, not just the ones that they feel it is safe for the public to know. Citizen journalism gives people the opportunity to report the cold, hard truth to people at a more personal level.

Blogging gives citizen journalism the opportunity to reach out to more people in a more discrete way. By posting blogs and using the internet in general, you can conceal your identity which protects your family and most importantly, you, from any danger that people who don't agree with what you're writing and the government from causing you harm. Blogging also enables the citizen journalist to post images, videos, and to reach out to other citizen journalists who might share the same interests.

A well-known citizen journalist is Yoani Sanchez. She takes full advantage of the ability to blog. She reaches out to thousands of people inside and outside of Cuba and reports the things that are really going on in her country. The great thing about her blog is that she is very blunt. She states her opinion and isn't afraid of writing it even though the government knows very well who she is and where she lives. She reports the things that the government-run newspapers would never write about. As great as this is, it is also very dangerous. Because she chose not to remain anonymous, she made it possible for people to know exactly who she is and is open to any violence from people who disagree with her.

Because citizen journalists generally report on things that the newspapers don't, it is hard to rely on them. The "facts" might be embellished or sometimes even completely false. Because blogs are put on the internet, it is hard to say whether they really happened or if there is any validity in them. For example, there is no way you can tell that Yoani Sanchez's blog is completely exaggerated or even totally made up. It's really up to the reader to decide whether they want to believe in it.