aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Saturday, June 09, 2007

The phrase “Citizen Journalist” should go

Steve Boriss at The Future of News says it’s time we name ourselves:

“Citizen journalist” implies that the truly legitimate position is “journalist” with the adjective “citizen” used as a qualifier to diminish status, as in Vice President, Lieutenant Colonel, or Assistant Professor.  Come to think of it, “Citizen journalist” sounds like a phrase invented by a mainstream journalist — one who clings to the belief that, in the future, journalists will still hold the same, lofty status they enjoy today, but just with the additional burden of using, taming, and managing a swarm of pesky news “wanna-bees.” Maybe it’s time for news bloggers to take responsibility for naming their own specialty — ideally one that would distinguish them from social bloggers on one hand and mainstream journalists on the other.

Boriss hit that nail right on the head! My suggestion, keep it simple: “News Bloggers” is a good start. 

Via Martin Stabe.

TANGENTIALLY RELATED: A podcast by any other name would be much sweeter.