Title
Where Did You Get That Story?: An Examination of Story Sourcing Practices and Objectivity on Citizen Journalism Websites
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Electronic News
Publication Date
9-1-2018
Abstract
A content analysis of 560 articles from 56 citizen journalism websites based in the United States showed more than a quarter of the stories didn’t use sources and nearly half used only one source. When sources were used, traditional media and press releases were often cited. When citizen journalists used traditional media as a source, they tended to quote directly from previously published material and then used an external hyperlink. Press releases were often quoted directly from, or published directly to, the citizen journalism sites. More than 90% of the stories did adhere to the traditional journalistic norm of objectivity since many stories were sourced from mainstream media reports and press releases. Stories reported most often included event, political, and business stories.
Volume
12
Issue
3
First Page
165
Last Page
178
DOI
10.1177/1931243118799135
ISSN
19312431
E-ISSN
1931244X
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Kirsten A., "Where Did You Get That Story?: An Examination of Story Sourcing Practices and Objectivity on Citizen Journalism Websites" (2018). Faculty Publications. 953.
https://jayscholar.etown.edu/facpubharvest/953