Citizen Journalism: A good development for journalism?

              

               Citizen Journalism is a recent journalism phenomenon that has given the public a different meaning of receiving the news. The idea of citizen journalism is that ordinary people without professional journalism training are now able to use modern technology to capture events and globally distribute them over the Internet via blogs, video sites, etc. Through this, individuals are able to create, augment or fact-check professional journalists and the media on their own or with a group. Mark Glaser of PBS writes of a few examples of how citizen journalism is being used: “for instance,” he said, “you could fact-check a newspaper article from the mainstream media and point out factual errors or bias on your blog or videotape a newsworthy event and post it to YouTube.”

                For the average person, this should be considered a great development in the field of journalism. I, for instance, was quite impressed with social media and similar sites during the revolutions that brought rise to the Arab Spring. Without the modern day technologies and the user-generated content that the people across the world were able to upload to the internet, the revolutions may have never occurred or gotten so much support. Citizen journalism is a monumental step in increasing the globalization of countries and seeing unedited, first-hand newsworthy throughout the world. It is a way for everyone to be involved in the media and of “fulfilling their first amendment right of freedom of expression.” And as technology continues to evolve and publishing platforms become easier and more versatile, citizen journalism will continue to grow and change the way people access their news.

                                             

                But citizen journalism has not received as much praise from traditional journalists. Many professionals believe that “only a trained journalist can understand the rigors and ethics involves in reporting the news.” Additionally, they view citizen journalists with skepticism, especially when they are “proponents of the topics they write about.” This leads to the people saying that citizen journalists don’t hold onto the traditional journalistic value of objectivity. Among other criticisms, professional journalists have been quick to deem citizen journalists as subjective, amateurish and inaccurate.

                One setback of citizen journalism that I do agree with is that unlike professional journalists, they may have never learned of ethics in a formal setting. Responsible journalists research, interview and report “through a lens of ethics.” This issue questions whether it is possible for citizen journalists to cover tragic news stories without sensationalizing them or without re-victimizing the victims. On the issue, professional journalists believe that just because something happened does not mean they should saturate all forms of media with it. There is also the issue of anonymity. Behind the privacy wall of the internet, users remain anonymous. Because of this, individuals are able to upload false information or bad data without any repercussions.

                However, just because professional journalists have an ethical code does not mean that they always consider the code in media. It has become the case that much of network news is viewed as relatively unethical when it comes to reporting. Programs rather focus on visually exciting events or popular culture rather than worldly issues. This is where citizen journalism is beneficial. London School of Economics professor Charlie Beckett said that, “to rely on conventional media would return us to a more closed world because mainstream journalists literally can’t get to some of these stories.” And sure, there is some bad information from citizen journalists, but most of that stuff gets ignored. In fact,since citizen journalism's rise in popularity, there has never been a significant instance when false citizen journalism has had a serious impact.  

                                           

                I’m writing on the subject of citizen journalism because of the discussion in class on new media ethics and the concept of citizen journalism. In class, there were various criticisms of citizen journalism that we discussed. I found myself disagreeing with a few of the criticisms and thought about addressing the benefits of citizen journalism. However, that is not to say that I completely disagreed with the criticisms. As I previously mentioned, there are a few issues with the popularity of citizen journalism. Additionally, I believe that there should be a place for formal ethics in citizen journalism and it is up to these bloggers and other “amateurs” to with objectivity. But as of now, I view citizen journalism in a good light and am excited to see it develop. 

Sources: 

1. http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/street-journalists-as-an-answer-to-ailing-journalism

2. http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/your-guide-to-citizen-journalism270.html

3. http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2009/05/05/the-hazards-of-citizen-journalism/

4. http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Journalism/CitizenJournalism.html

5. http://voices.yahoo.com/are-ethics-missing-citizen-journalism-310750.html?cat=9

Deceptive Advertising: Where the FTC is focusing its regulation efforts on

                

Deceptive advertising is one of the few forms of speech that is not protected under the Constitution’s first amendment. To define, it is “Any advertising or promotion that misrepresents the nature, characteristics  qualities or geographic origin of goods, services or commercial activities.” The agency in charge of regulating companies and advertisers which use deceptive advertisements is the Federal Trade Commission. However, companies are still trying to find ways to deceive the consumers. Over the years, the FTC has begun increasing the punishment for companies, especially in the health and fitness industry, who attempt to deceive consumers through their advertisements.

In March of 2012, Sketchers was forced to settle with the Federal Trade Commission for a whopping “$40 million to settle claims that deceptive advertising was used to sell Sketchers’ toning shoes and apparel”. The Federal Trade Commission’s penalty was the largest ever settlement fee given out. The substantial punishment highlights the FTC’s increased oversight of advertisers that use unsubstantiated health and fitness claims to lure unsuspecting consumers. Sketchers was charged with violating federal law by falsely representing clinical studies backing up claims that Shape-Ups, Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-ups would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their butts, lets, and abdominal muscles.

In trying to appeal to health enthusiasts, Sketchers advertisements had lines saying “get in shape without setting a foot in a gym” and “make your bottom half your better half.” David Vladeck, the director for the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection, said that “Sketchers put its foot in its mouth by making unproven claims. People didn't lose weight, they gained weight. Either shape up your substantiation or tone down your claims.”

It has been a year since the FTC began to step up their efforts in forcing marketers to shape up healthy and fitness claims. Jeffrey Greenbaum, a managing partner with Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, said that “They are sending a very strong message to the big national advertising industry that the free press is over.” This mission began with the FTC’s $25 million settlement with Reebok in mid-2011 for deceptive ad practices. In Reebok’s unprecedented case, they were charged with using a “lack of laboratory tests to prove that its EasyTone and RunTone shoe line would, as they claimed, improve muscle tone and strength in the butt, hamstrings, and calves.” In increasing their oversight on health advertisements, the FTC is now even telling companies that in order to make accurate claims in the future, advertisers may need to get preapprovals by the Food and Drug Administration.

The health and fitness industry seems to have gotten the picture as it now appears that the Federal Trade Commission has turned its focus onto trumped-up green marketing claims. Just one week ago, the FTC “announced the final revisions to its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims.” These guides, more commonly referred to as the “green guides” helps marketers and advertisers avoid making deceptive eco claims without proof. The reason that these guides have been currently revised is because the last time they were updated was in 1998. Since then, the United States has seen a “green revolution” with a myriad of companies jumping on the eco bandwagon and developing greener products. Companies have a significant advantage over their competitors if they are producing green products. A 2009 study by Green Seal, the nation’s original green seal of approval company, showed that almost 80% of consumers are buying green products.

 

As these guides become more well-known around companies and advertisers, consumers will begin to see a lot less deceptive environmental claims in media. And more companies can expect to receive citations from the FTC for making the unsubstantiated claims. Regarding the new regulations, Christopher Cole, a partner in Manatt Phelps & Phillips, said that “It is certain that the new guides will change behavior among marketers over time. For those who ignore the rules, one can predict that rigorous law enforcement activity will begin soon.”

I wanted to address the topic of deceptive advertising because in class this week, we will be discussing the subject of “Ethics and Persuasion.” I've always been interested in the regulations that are given to companies/advertisers who use false claims because it is a very unethical practice. In the book we read that in order for advertisers to determine the “ethical worthiness of a message”, they need to pass all the levels of “TARES” which stands for Truthful, Authentic, Respect, and Equity. It appears as though the FTC is finally coming around the a more rigorous TARES stance. 

Other Sources Used: 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/01/ftc-environment-idUSL1E8L1MIL20121001?type=marketsNews

http://www.greenerideal.com/politics/us/1003-deceptive-green-advertising/

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/skechers-settles-deceptive-ad-case-ftc-40m-140577