Civic and audience empowerment: the role of citizen journalism

This chapter examines and critiques the concept of the 'citizen journalist'. In particular, it examines the idea that so-called citizen journalists enhance the public sphere (Habermas 1989) by empowering ’the people formerly known as the audience' (Rosen 2006). Traditionally, the audience have been seen as essentially passive recipients of knowledge. It is argued that the potential interactivity of the technological revolution contributes to a more pluralistic and interactive public sphere (Curran and Seaton 2010). There is no doubt that alternative and more participatory media could offer an alternative to the ‘subordinate role of audience as receiver’ (Atton and Hamilton 2008: 1) and contribute to the development of ‘active citizenship’, seen as essential to the continuation of participatory democracy (Harcup 2011).