We sought information from people who were familiar with citizen journalism sites, either as readers or contributors, and that’s what we got: 92% of our 191 survey respondents said they had read a “web site created by community members to share very local information that might not be readily available”; 85% of 176 respondents said they had actually contributed to such a web site.
What kinds of things did they contribute? Of our 191 participants:
- 65% had posted a comment.
- 65% had posted a story.
- 56% had posted a photo.
- 27% had posted a video or audio file.
- 45% had helped to create a new site.
- 25% helped manage a site that already existed.
- 12% had donated money or merchandise to a site.
Citizen journalists wear many hats and juggle overlapping responsibilities. When asked what roles they play in their site: 68% contribute content; 34% edit other contributions; 23% assign topics for others to contribute; 43% shape the organization of the site; 27% manage site finances; 38% own or operate the site.
As a group, the survey respondents reported a high degree of formal education: 157 of our respondents (82%) had either earned a college degree, completed some graduate or professional education, or held a graduate or professional degree.
Finally, 115 of our participants (60%) had never worked as a professional journalist.