By Global research/ MIRH/ 29 August 2022
By Susan D. Moeller
Executive summary
Citizen journalists may turn out to be the 21st century’s most potent force for creating, supporting, and building open and democratic societies. In environments where poor infrastructure, minimal access to technology, and small-scale economies impede the creation or sustainability of mainstream independent media, and in countries where repressive governments limit the ability of professional journalists to operate freely, citizen journalists are filling the gaps. Yet citizen journalists often have no formal journalism training nor perhaps more critically any training in the essential roles independent media play in ensuring accountable and transparent government.
This report investigates how the U.S. government, international institutions, and private foundations are trying to teach this new cohort of semi-journalists to be media literate. Hitherto, the bulk of funding for media literacy education has been directed at two populations: children and youth (the focus of the third report in this series) and the general adult public (the focus of the first).
Only recently have U.S. and international donors working on media development and communication for development projects begun to identify media literacy training as a priority for other communities particularly journalists and policy makers.
Citizen journalists are in particular need of such training. They are on the front lines of the digital media transformation of the news business, but their knowledge of journalism standards and values as well as of the rights and responsibilities of the news media are usually minimal.
This report outlines the key arguments for funding media literacy training for citizen journalists. In places where economic and political challenges make it problematic for traditional media to operate, citizen journalism allows a community not only to take control of and responsibility for the media coverage of citizens’ hometowns but also to learn about and get engaged with the issues and events that matter to them.
Click here:- file:///C:/Users/BitCom%20Tech/Downloads/CIMA-Media_Literacy_Citizen_Journalists-Report.pdf
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