The Internet has been instrumental in the creation of the new “global citizen”.
No longer are we solely citizens of individual countries, but are now global citizens. As the Internet provides an expanded access to information and we learn more about those in neighboring countries, we become attached to worldwide issues.
Prior to the emergence of the Internet, non-profit groups had a small voice. With little funding available to them, non-profits relied on people with money and power to spread their message. With the advent of the Internet as a means of global communication, non-profits can now create a substantial web presence, reaching a national and global audience at the same time. Even if funds remain low, the creation of a website for a non-profit will at least give the non-profit a louder voice.
As more and more non-profits create a web presence, the more and more global citizens are connected to pressing issues at home and abroad. Whereas non-profits once had to rely on someone rich and important to spread their message, the non-profits with a web presence can now take control of their organizations to reach the interested global public.
With this new ability to be more active in a global sense, citizens are also becoming instrumental in reporting information to one another, sharing their knowledge through blogs, unofficial news sites, and active comment/forum discussion boards. Unlike traditional media and news platforms, some citizens find specialized information that they can post online, whether it be opinion, unique news facts, or other information they are passionate about.
The following is a list of ethics and best practices that should be embraced by citizen journalists (as outlined by my class member Brynne Tuggle):
- Seek Truth and Report It: Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information
- Minimize Harm: Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect
- Act Independently: Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know
- Be Accountable: Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other
It’s important to embrace the idea of becoming a global citizen, but with great accessibility comes great responsibility. If we are to become a more united world that is aware of all our world’s pressing issues, we need to work together to provide the most honest, informative, and ethical system of communication we can.
