Stomp
Is it citizen journalism?
I said ‘no’ but ST left it out when quoting me, says Cherian George.
Jul 8, 2006

The Straits Times today devotes several pages to the phenomenon of citizen journalism, and includes a big fat quote from yours truly.

Not surprisingly, though, ST left out one additional point I made: that I do not consider STOMP to be citizen journalism.

The Review package celebrates STOMP as if it is the cutting edge of citizen journalism in Singapore. The reason I disagree is simple.

To me, it is not the source of facts or opinions that distinguishes citizen journalism from the mainstream - just because a story or picture comes from a reader does not make it a piece of citizen journalism.

Instead, it boils down to who selects and decides what stories to pursue and publish. Editing is what separate journalism from gossip.

STOMP, like the rest of ST, is edited by professional ST journalists, not ordinary citizens. Citizen journalism has unrealised potential in Singapore.

Most promising, I think, are the special interest areas or "beats" in which considerable expertise exists outside of the media.

A taste of things to come is found in Mr Wang Says So, who uses his legal training to provide legal analysis that is often superior to ST's; Dawn Kua's blog on animal issues; and Chua Ai Lin's Singapore heritage mailing list.

(Thanks to Sarah for pointing me to these. If you know of other "expert" Singaporean blogs in specialised areas, I would love to receive your recommendations.)

http://singaporemedia.blogspot.com/2006/07/is-stomp-citizen-journalism.html