International Association Of Independent Journalists Inc.

[IAIJ]

Citizen Journalism in Nigeria



By Akintayo Olugbenga Adewale



Gone are the days when the practice of journalism was preserved for those who have learned the ropes of the journalism profession. Journalism today, seems to be retracing its steps back to how it was in the beginning when it was an all-comers affair. In the beginning, journalism was in the domain of all and sundry - especially printers who were not trained in the art or news gathering or writing. But now, the audience are taking the pilot seat and becoming the creator and disseminator of the information they and everyone else consume. This is the power of change which the 21st century ushered in.

In my country, Nigeria, there is no gain saying the fact that this power of change is visible everywhere as the advent of the internet, ipad, phones and other electronic and communication devices have revolutionised the way information and other news items are being gathered, processed and disseminated. To paraphrase Felix Olajide Talabi, ‘The internet has made everybody (in Nigeria) a journalist just as Gutenberg made everybody a printer with the invention of the printing press and Marconi made everyone a broadcaster by giving us the radio.’ From facebooking to twitting, Youtubing and blogging, never has this country of over 160 million people embraced the power of ‘democracy journalism’. One fascinating thing about citizen journalism in my country is the speed at which information gets to the doorsteps of the people when compared to the conventional media. Before the conventional media’s newspapers or magazines hit the stand, the citizen journalist already has delivered the news to the masses through the internet via media such as Youtubes, Facebook, and Twitter among others.

With the rate at which citizen journalism is growing in Nigeria, it appears that a time will come when to make a clear distinction between the role of conventional journalism and citizen journalism will be a herculean task.

Be that as it may, the Nigerian citizen journalists face more risk compared to trained journalists. Unlike his trained counterparts who know the rules concerning privacy, libel and other media laws, the citizen journalist often finds himself entangled in the ropes of the law when he goes out to take pictures, record events or interview. The police and other law enforcement agents threaten most citizen journalists because they consider them not ‘worthy’ to take up the responsibilities of the professional journalist. Another major challenge confronting the growth of citizen journalism in my country is the question of credibility. Since citizen journalism makes everyone a news reporter, interviewer, investigative journalist, and editor, the general populace are being a little bit sceptical about the credibility and content of information coming from the non-conventional media. So, in Nigeria when I say I am a citizen journalist, people look at me, then look at each other, make some mumbling sounds and look at me again, then burst into laughter and walk past me.