This morning I came across a piece in the Age titled DIY journalism is not a real alternative. The point its author is trying to bring across is:
Just as having Photoshop installed on your computer doesn't make you a graphic designer, setting up a blog doesn't make you a journalist — much less a news organisation. Quality journalism requires enormous amounts of skill and money. Expecting the same depth of reporting by committed amateurs is fanciful.
Fair enough - Citizen journalism might have its issues (check the Jill Leovy part). But I think what the author overlooks is the fact that this form of journalism isn’t about a single author but a whole sphere of blogs and other means of publication that, due to the expertise of all its contributors, can paint an extensive picture of events and give broad background information. Maybe even more so than the commercial press (particularly in Australia where one man, Rupert Murdoch, controls the supply of paper used for newspapers). But then again: What else is the writer supposed to do besides defending his profession against the ever growing competition?
-Jens