Public Journalism

I just became a journalist in three easy steps. That sounds like an infomercial doesn’t it? “With just three easy clicks you can unleash the inner workings of your mind onto an unsuspecting public. Call now!”

This thing called "Participatory Journalism" is a strange new phenomenon. The invention of the web log or “blog” has made it possible for just about anyone to become and/or label themselves as a journalist.

There was time when becoming a journalist required training, technique, and knowledge – now all it requires is the internet and a brain. Think all the journalists out there in newspaper and magazine land feel a little bit devalued? After all, we’re stomping all over their turf!

But then, maybe this is the public’s way of regaining some sort of power, as if to collectively scream: “There! Now we can write about what we want to write about!” Thankfully, as with everything in this modern world, the process of creating a blog has been made incredibly easy. When I said “three easy steps”, I wasn’t kidding. In fact, it took me so little time to set up a blog, I was thinking of treating it like a game, creating a dozen more to see if I can beat my old record.