Dissertation introduction

THE IMPACT OF CITIZEN
JOURNALISM ON THE MODERN
PHOTOJOURNALIST
SID:1104239

The Impact of Citizen Journalism ontheModern Photojournalist.
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Abstract
This Paper studies the impact of Citizen Journalism on modern Photojournalists. This is in
light of debate as to whether or not Citizen Journalism is negatively effecting
Photojournalists and forcing them out of Freelance positions. This study examines both sides
of the story. As part of the study, a look at the use of social media, and technology is key to
answering a conflict of opinions, as well as looking at image quality and content to see if the
these issues are in favour of Photojournalists or Citizen Journalists.
The study will show how Freelance Photojournalists have evolved and how they will have to
continue changing and adapting to survive in one of the most competitive industries in the
world. Likewise it will be investigating what makes a Citizen Journalist such a major
competitor in the media.
This study is to highlight the level of competition that Freelance and employed
Photojournalists encounter and that positions are both oversubscribed and almost cutthroat
in terms of competition in the photographic industry. The study will answer key questions
such as how has technology effected Citizen Journalism, how have Photographers adapted
to the growth of Citizen Journalists, how reliable is Citizen Journalism and what do Freelance
Photographers and Photojournalists have to do to compete with Citizen Journalists, this are
issues that the study will answer. This study, is to fill a void in current photographic/media
knowledge. This is due to there being many studies on Photojournalists and Citizen
Journalists, but none that compare, contrast and review the effects they have on each other.
You may already have a view so this study aims to provide evidence to support and prove
or disprove existing beliefs or in an unlikely circumstance to reach a conclusion that does
not support either view but simply puts issues into context.

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Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................2
1. Literature Review...................................................................................................................... 5
1.a Introduction to background reading ..................................................................................... 5
1.b Assessment of existing research........................................................................................... 6
1.c Originality review .............................................................................................................. 11
1.d Current Research Gaps ...................................................................................................... 12
1.e Research Relevance........................................................................................................... 12
1.f Views and Controversy....................................................................................................... 13
2. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 14
2.a Introduction to study......................................................................................................... 14
2.b Research Objectives. ......................................................................................................... 14
2.c Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 15
2.d Introduction to Themes..................................................................................................... 15
2.e Potential Issues................................................................................................................. 16
3. Methodology.......................................................................................................................... 17
3.a Introduction...................................................................................................................... 17
3.b Types of Research ............................................................................................................. 17
3.b.i Quantitative ................................................................................................................ 17
3.b.ii Qualitative.................................................................................................................. 18
3.b.iii Methods and Reasoning ............................................................................................ 18
3.c Methods and Theories....................................................................................................... 19
3.c.i Face to Face and telephone interviews, Pros and Cons ................................................... 19
3.c.ii Pros and Cons for Online Surveys.................................................................................. 20
4. Results and Analysis................................................................................................................ 22
4.a Introduction...................................................................................................................... 22
4.b Research Results............................................................................................................... 22
4.b.i Online Surveys............................................................................................................. 22
4.b.ii Image analysis............................................................................................................. 35
4.b.ii.a Citizen Journalist images........................................................................................... 35
4.b.ii.b Photojournalismimages ........................................................................................... 39
4.b.iii Interviews.................................................................................................................. 41
4.b.iii.a Adam Scott.............................................................................................................. 42
4.b.iii.b David Høgsholt........................................................................................................ 44
4.c Success of Research........................................................................................................... 48
5. Conclusions and Further Study................................................................................................. 49

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5.a Introduction...................................................................................................................... 49
5.b How has technology effected Citizen Journalism? ............................................................... 49
5.c How have Photographers adapted to the growth of Citizen Journalists? ............................... 49
5.d How reliable is Citizen Journalism?..................................................................................... 50
5.e What do Freelance PhotographersandPhotojournalistshave todoto compete withCitizen
Journalists? ............................................................................................................................ 51
5.f Further Study..................................................................................................................... 52
5.g Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 53
6. Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 54
6.a Websites........................................................................................................................... 54
6.b Texts................................................................................................................................ 55
7. Appendices............................................................................................................................. 56
7.a Participationforms............................................................................................................ 56
7.b Participant Information Sheet............................................................................................ 58
7.c Email Interview with David Hogsholt................................................................................... 60
8.References.............................................................................................................................. 65
9. Photo Gallery, Demonstration of Professional Photojournalistic Work. ...................................... 69

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1. Literature Review
1.a Introduction to background reading
“In order to understand the subject one must first understand the background to the study.
The process of reading, analyzing, evaluating, and summarizing scholarly materials about a
specific topic. The results of a literature review may be compiled in a report or they may
serve as part of a research article, thesis, or grant proposal.”(9)
Jeffrey W.Knopf suggested that a literature review “First, should concisely summarize the
findings or claims that have emerged from prior research efforts on a subject. Second, a
literature review should reach a conclusion about how accurate and complete that
knowledge is; it should present your considered judgments about what’s right, what’s
wrong, what’s inconclusive, and what’s missing in the existing literature. In contrast to some
other ways of surveying a body of literature, such as an annotated bibliography, the
literature review is a work of synthesis. For this reason, it is important not to simply write a
summary list of what each individual work says, but instead to focus on the body of work
viewed as a whole. Conducting a literature review can have several benefits:
• It can give you a general overview of a body of research with which you are not familiar.
• It can reveal what has already been done well, so that you do not waste time “reinventing
the wheel.”
• It can give you new ideas you can use in your own research.
• It can help you determine where there are problems or flaws in existing research.

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• It can enable you to place your research in a larger context, so that you can show what
new conclusions might result from your research.”(10)
1.b Assessment of existing research
Existing research papers cover in depth the areas of both Citizen Photography and
Photojournalism however, neither does a comparative study into how these areas affect
each other.
Telling stories to a different beat: Photojournalism as a “Way of Life” Naomi Verity Busst,
BPhoto, MJ.
This particular study, looks more into the ideology behind why Photographers conduct the
work that they do. This is key to understanding the work of both Photographers and
contributors.
“This thesis examines definitions of Photojournalism and establishes that Photojournalism is
defined not so much by who commissioned it or where it is published, but rather by the
ideology, values and morals that underpin the genre. The way that Photojournalists see
their role and speak about it reveals that witnessing and documenting history is
underpinned by key ideals, values and responsibilities. In order to witness and document
history, Photojournalists face significant challenges – financially, physically and
psychologically.”(11) This the best way to summarise this research paper
This is an important starting point, to the development of the research and expresses a
number of key opinions, the study particularly focuses on the Freelance side of the industry
in a similar way that this study will also be doing this. This paper in terms of information
may not be entirely reliable as it follows opinions rather than factual analysis, although with
a subject as subjective and open as journalism this is to be accepted. The paper covers all

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areas of the research process and theories used mainly focussing on the psychological issues
of photojournalism. This paper is relevant also in terms of year of publication with the paper
being just a few years old yet within a relevant time period.
The dominant features of this paper are;
 Limitations: Understanding the limitations of another study is a good way to
recognise the limitations within this investigation.
 Muddy waters: unravelling Photojournalism definitions 39
 The role of Photojournalism: ‘witnessing and documenting history’
 Challenges of Freelance Photojournalism
 Photojournalism as a “Way of Life”
The study is well laid out and follows a logical step by step through the research. On top of
this it also appears to be an unbiased study however one can quite easily understand that
the author was passionate about the subject, the paper uses a broad range of sources both
relevant research and interviews allow a complete overview of each section.
TWEET FIRST, VERIFY LATER? How real-time information is changing the coverage of
worldwide crisis events by Nicola Bruno.
This paper looks more in general, at the rise of Citizen Journalism, through the use of social
media the author briefly covers photography however in the initial stages of the paper, this
issue is key to stand out “The Twitter effect is not only changing the way in which people
communicate during crisis events, but also how big news organizations cover them. If the
CNN effect required your own correspondents being on the ground in order to broadcast
live footage, then the Twitter effect allows you to provide live coverage without any
reporters on the ground, by simply newsgathering user-generated content available

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online.”(12) This idea is one that in relation to this study will certainly stand out in particular
areas. This paper was written for the Reuters institute for journalism so has undergone
rigorous ethical testing and is written by a professional journalist with at least 5 years’
experience. The paper references thoroughly and is heavily reliant on facts and figures and
alongside the referencing allows the paper to be reliable in more than one manner.
The key areas the paper covers are;
 From the CNN effect to the Twitter effect
 Social Media: A first rough draft of history?
 The Twitter effect in the Newsroom.
 How The Guardian, BBC and CNN incorporated social media contributions into their
online coverage
 BBC: a centralized approach to social media
 The Guardian: a de-centralized approach to social media
 CNN: a community-centred approach to social media
 Verification and reliability in the age of the “1440-minute news cycle”
These to this research are key areas as it allows further understanding into how Citizen
Journalism has gained its roots and its early mass growth in the media industry.
By the People: The Rise of Citizen Journalism By Eugene L. Meyer A Report to the Center for
International Media Assistance.
This report looks into the risks and issues revolving around Citizen Journalism in relation to
this study the report stands as a key reference in regards to the issues that Citizen
Journalists may potentially face. This report covers areas that relate to the subject The
Impact of Citizen Journalism on the Modern Photojournalist. The reliability of this report, is

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relatively solid, with it being a report written by an experienced journalist for an agency that
works to promote the safety and welfare of journalists across the world. The best way to
summarise the study is with the following extract. “This paper seeks to examine both the
challenges and opportunities facing Citizen Journalism in foreign lands, focusing especially
on the so-called purple (not free) and yellow (partly free) zones, as defined by the Freedom
House Foundation’s Map of Press Freedom 20102, which ranks 196 countries and
territories. In many such places, the definition between Citizen Journalism and advocacy
blurs, and traditional newsroom standards are a luxury if not entirely irrelevant. So any
discussion of Citizen Journalism in countries where the press is partly free or not free cannot
be separated from the governmental environment and atmosphere that limit its
practice.”(13)
The key areas that this report covers are;
 What is Citizen Journalism? Understanding Citizen Journalism to a higher degree is
understandably key to the investigation the further level of understanding that this
study will provide to the investigation at hand is of a high requirement.
 Belarus: Citizen Journalists’ Risky Business: this section is key to understanding the
risks upon which Citizen Journalists have to survive, again for this particular
investigation a highly important subject area.
 Monetizing Citizen Journalism: understanding the monetary gain for Citizen
Journalists, will allow a deeper understanding as to the how and why Citizens
contribute their work.

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How Digital Technology has Changed Photojournalism What a difference twenty years makes
By Mark Lent.
This short recent history of Photojournalism has been selected to be used as a source as it
explains the processes and the evolution of the modern Photojournalist, the article is
written in a relaxed informative manner drawing on the writers own experiences in the
photographic industry, the article also follows the technological advances.
This part of the article is the most relevant to this study “In the past 20 years, the abilities of
the working Photojournalist have changed almost as much as the technology. What editors
once considered a “low-tech” job has become one of the most technically demanding
positions at any media outlet. The modern Photojournalist must be an IT manager, writer,
videographer, video and photo editor, webmaster, and computer repair technician…and oh
yeah, they have to be technically accomplished Photographers, too. Since Photographers
often work alone and away from their offices, having all of these abilities becomes crucial
because you can’t send for the publication’s IT staff 250 miles away when you’re having
issues with your laptop, Internet, or workflow.”(15)
The business of photojournalism, Phil Coomes
Within this article the author writes and follows the lives of photojournalists and the
difficulty but not impossibility of finding work and working on projects that they have a
passion for.
The article is valid to this study because it about the working life and business of being a
Photojournalist which is essentially half of the study into the research topic. The reliability of
the article for it to be published on the BBC website would be high with the sources being
checked and double checked to ensure reliability. The sources are primary sources of which

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all are working photojournalists. The best quote to sum up the article is in the introduction
is.
“Times are hard, the economy is sluggish and photographers are far from immune to the
situation. Add to that the vast number of people chasing commission’s means it's a tough
time for those looking for financial backing. Yet there are options out there. Newspapers,
magazines and websites are still commissioning work of course, but that's not the only way
to be able to shoot the story you want to cover.”(16)
The article does not cover any issues with competition from outside sources or even a more
in depth note into competition from other photographers.
The article covers a number of areas below is the list of key subjects and interviewees;
 Awards, scholarships and grants: this is key to understanding what help there is
available for Photojournalists to assist in their self-motivated work that may
potentially allow further expansion into a full story
 Miranda Gavin: Is a working photojournalist, understanding their experiences is
another way of understanding the lives of Photojournalists.
1.c Originality review
“The expectation that you will say something original in every college paper may seem
daunting. After all, how can you, an undergraduate who has been studying a particular
subject for as little as one semester, know enough to make an original contribution to a field
that your professor may have spent a career studying? Indeed, it would be impossible for
you to come up with an idea for every paper you write that no one has ever thought of
before, and your instructors realize this. When they ask you to come up with an original

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idea, they may be signalling different expectations, depending on the context of the
assignment.”(17)
This Suggests that no research is purely original however in regards to the research question
and context of this study the research is by no means original but it does create a link
through which is difficult to find in existing research. Both Citizen Journalism and
Photojournalism have been researched in extreme levels of depth
1.d Current Research Gaps
This review has highlighted, that although both Citizen Journalism and Photojournalism, are
both studied in great detail, no existing study bridges the gap and explores how each side
effects the other in the relative subjects such as technology, and ethics etc. Under that
reasoning there is a clear gap in existing research for this study to be conducted.
Under the provision of conducting this research the use of the existing studies and
investigations will be core to understanding the two sides of the subject.
1.e Research Relevance
The relevance of the aforementioned studies and research papers is that each paper covers
an issue or part of an issue that effects this particular paper in a key manner. Using relevant
research is of course vital in maintaining a relevant, informative and importantly reliable
source of information with a high degree of accuracy. “The literature review serves to
explain the topic of the research and to build a rationale for the problem that is studied and
the need for additional research.”(14)
To understand the subject area the above studies, articles and research papers have been
selected because of the areas that they cover. They cover ethics, technology and working

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conditions as well as a number of other aspects that are key to understanding the workings
of Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism. In regards to understanding the subject and
relevance of the investigation initial thoughts that have been discussed briefly with other
photographers have highlighted that they believe the issue to be of some significance and
does indeed warrant an investigation.
1.f Views and Controversy
Existing studies particularly the ones mentioned in the literature review do not point out
any significant controversial ideas and tend to follow the same lines of thought, most
notably this appears to be that technology is key to keeping ahead of the game for
Photojournalists and likewise Citizen Journalists.
The views also highlight that ethical issues and issues of safety play a key role in both Citizen
Journalism and Photojournalism with this in mind, alongside technology this allows this
study to spread further and reach a deeper more concise understanding of the subject area
thus providing accurate results.
In relation to controversy there appears to be very little due to the study not being
discussed in depth however as with any investigation or discussion there will always be two
sides that require attention.

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2. Introduction
2.a Introduction to study.
This study is to examine the impact of Citizen Journalism on the modern, Photojournalist,
the study will examine a number of areas.
The study will examine and show how Citizen Journalism effects modern, Photojournalists,
whether it is a positive, negative or neutral impact. The reason it is important to investigate
this issue is because of debate growing in the Freelance photographic world as to whether
Photojournalism is indeed being effected by Citizen Photography. Through this research this
study shall contribute to existing knowledge through a compare and contrast study, There
does not appear to be any specific research papers comparing the two fields of media
photography so this research shall be combining the two fields.
2.b Research Objectives.
The research objectives are;
 To discover how the boom in technology is effecting Photojournalists and Citizen
Journalists.
 To understand how reliable Citizen Journalism can be for example, was the material
staged?
 To realise the level of competition between Photographers and Citizen Journalists
 To understand the evolution of the modern Media Photographer.
These objectives will allow this study to build a conclusion and provide an answer or
explanation to the research question.

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2.c Research Questions
The research questions are;
 How has technology effected Citizen Journalism?
 How have Photographers adapted to the growth of Citizen Journalists?
 How reliable is Citizen Journalism?
 What do Freelance Photographers and Photojournalists have to do to compete with
Citizen Journalists?
These questions allow the study to explore a number of research methods these include;
 Interviews with journalists, Photographers and members of the public who have
submitted and had their work published.
 Surveys aimed at the general population as well as target specific surveys.
 Compare and contrast of Citizen Journalist works with that of a Photojournalist/press
Photographer.
 Opinion polls
These research methods shall be the basis of my research, however these will be expanded
into more in depth methods.
2.d Introduction to Themes
To understand what this study is about, an explanation of the definition of both Citizen
Journalism and Photojournalism is required.
The definition of Citizen Journalism, according to the Oxford dictionary is “the collection,
dissemination, and analysis of news and information by the general public, especially by
means of the Internet.” (2)

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The Definition of Photojournalism again according to the Oxford dictionary is “the practice
of communicating news by photographs, especially in magazines.” (3)
This study is in light of a boom in photographic and video material that has been produced
by members of the public who freely post the images they have captured on the internet,
where news agencies are able to download and distribute them to a level that the producer
of the material would not be able to compete with user generated material is generally not
paid for. Citizen Journalism and user generated content is core to news groups in particular
the BBC’s. Peter Horrocks explains “All of the key daily news teams in radio, TV and the web
will be seated alongside each other next to the people who run the newsgathering. And
close to the middle of that operation will be our User Generated Content unit.” (1) This
highlights that Citizen Journalism is key to success.
2.e Potential Issues
The limitations of the study will be the quality of interviews and polls, these would therefore
have to be specifically targeted, and this may cause issues with the ability to contact
interviewees as Photojournalists in particular tend to be working in remote areas. Under the
board of ethics review this study must to consider the involvement/contact directly or
indirectly with human participants.
Further potential issues will arise in the compare and contrast sections with there being a
potential scenario where my own bias may outweigh fact, to counter this I would be
required to have one or more other individuals to agree or disagree with the analysis that I
provide.

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3. Methodology
3.a Introduction
To conduct this research a number of methodologies and different research types are
required to reach a conclusion. The types of research can be further broken down into
different methods of analysis. This section will explain the types of research undertaken, the
theories that are used and any ethical issues that arise.
3.b Types of Research
3.b.i Quantitative
What is quantitative research and what is it used for?
“To gain an understanding of the underlying reasons and motivations.
To provide insights into the setting of a problem, generating ideas and/or hypotheses for later
quantitative research.
To uncover prevalent trends in thought and opinion.”(4)
Quantitative research is a key underlying aspect in the development of research projects and
forms the basis of primary research. Quantitative research is used to gain a general overview
this type of research is not specific providing opinions rather than statistics.
“Exploratory and/or investigative. The findings are not conclusive and cannot be used to
make generalizations about the population of interest. Develop an initial understanding and
sound base for further decision making.”(5)
This type of research should then be followed by qualitative research and then even go back
to quantitative again to understand further the reasoning behind the statistics.

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3.b.ii Qualitative
What is qualitative research and what is it used for?
“To quantify data and generalize results from a sample to the population of interest.
To measure the incidence of various views and opinions in a chosen sample.
Sometimes followed by qualitative research which is used to explore some findings
further.”(6)
This information is used for statistical purposes and will usually follow up and in return be
followed up by quantitative research, this type of research is most often used to reach
conclusions.
3.b.iii Methods and Reasoning
 Interviews with professional Photographers to discover their views, for example, if
they believe that unpaid contributors/Citizen Journalists do in fact affect them.
o The reasoning behind this is to gain a better understanding into the mind-set
of professional Photographers about how the issues raised in this paper are
impacting them.
 Interviews with Citizen Journalists to understand how they work, what makes them
want to submit their work, are they rewarded for their submissions.
o After interviewing professionals speaking to “Citizen Journalists” would be a
secure balance showing both sides of the argument.
 Opinion polls. Both targeted at the general public and at the photographic
community.

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o This would allow an overview of the general population and show the levels
of awareness in the media photographic industry. The use of opinion based
questions allows a further level of depth to opinion polls.
 Compare and contrast image quality and content.
o By comparing and contrasting both quality and content this will allow a solid
comparison between professionals and non-professionals. The reason being
the vast majority of the time a professional will have the advantage of quality
while a contributor/Citizen Journalist may have better content for example.
 Analysis of social media uses by both Citizen Journalists and Photojournalists.
o Looking at the use of social media can provide answers as to why Citizen
Journalists
 Analysis of media use of Photojournalists work vs Citizen Journalists.
o This is to assist in understanding if there really is an imbalance in who has the
most work published in the media.
3.c Methods and Theories
Within this section I shall explain the theories and which method of research these relate to
in regards to this study. This section is important so that it is clear how the conclusions
within the paper are to be reached so as to provide a concise and accurate conclusion.
3.c.i Face to Face and telephone interviews, Pros and Cons
The following are pros to face to face interview, these areas are of course the ideal ways to get
the most from an interview.
“1) Direct feedback from respondent

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2) Opportunity to probe
3) Can use observation as another evaluation method
4) Yields rich data, details and new insights
5) Personal interaction with respondents
6) Opportunity to explain or clarify questions
Below are the cons to face to face and telephone interviews, these must also be considered
and depending on the situation be weighed up against the pros to see if the face to face
interview is worth the disadvantages.
1)Time-consuming
2)Interviewers need to be prepared
3)Interviewer error or bias
4)Flexibility
5)Analysis (of results) may be difficult
6)(Potentially) Costly.”(7)
3.c.ii Pros and Cons for Online Surveys.
Advantages
1) “Web-based surveys/blogs are extremely fast.
2) Large samples do not cost much more than smaller.
3) Pictures, videos and audio files can be included.

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4) Web-based questionnaires can use complex question skipping logic, randomizations and
other features not possible with paper questionnaires or most email surveys. These
features can assure better data.
5) Web-based questionnaires can use colours, fonts and other formatting options not
possible in most email surveys.
6) A significant number of people will give more honest answers to questions about sensitive
topics, such as drug use or sex, when giving their answers to a computer, as opposed to a
person or on paper.
Disadvantages
1) Current use of the Internet is growing but far from universal. Internet surveys may not
reflect the population as a whole.
2) People can easily quit in the middle of a questionnaire. They are not as likely to complete a
long questionnaire on the Web as they would be if talking with a good interviewer.”(8)

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4. Results and Analysis
4.a Introduction
The investigation requires a range of research as understood in the previous section.
“Researchers should describe their results clearly, and in a way that other researchers can
compare them with their own results. They should also analyse the results, using
appropriate statistical methods to try to determine the probability that they may have been
chance findings, and may not be replicable in larger studies. But this is not enough. Results
need to be interpreted in an objective and critical way, before assessing their implications
and before drawing conclusions.”(21)
4.b Research Results
4.b.i Online Surveys
As part of the research online polls were conducted the weakness of this kind of research is
that online results can due to them being anonymous, from the ethical standpoint the
results of the initial survey are able to be questioned as participants due to be random
internet users did not sign a consent form this was for the first poll/survey only the second
more in depth poll/survey required consent from the individuals. The polls have been
conducted via survey website “Survey Monkey” many of the questions were opinion based
so as to gain a better understanding of the participants understanding of core elements of
the study.

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Survey 1
If you think you know what citizen journalism is, please explain what you think it is.
 Public reporting of information. 4/18/2014 10:44 AM
 Either a citizen being in the wrong place at the wrong time and capturing it, or
tweeting it etc or, a citizen who starts reporting and/or investigating something that
matters to them that they want people to know about 4/18/2014 10:13 AM
 Citizen journalism is when, for example, an event takes place and a member of the
public is involved in the reporting of what happens. This could be a photo or audio,
for example. 4/17/2014 7:24 PM
 When a member of the community decides to publish there ideas and thoughts
without actually having a journalism job. 3/12/2014 2:40 PM

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 citizens using social networks and other media to report what is happening near
them and or express an opinion on local and national issues 2/14/2014 5:33 PM
 I'd call it the creation or breaking of a news story by a non-professional journalist
who happened to be at the scene of an incident. It was the situation that turned
them into a journalist for that moment in time. 12/12/2013 4:41 PM
 When a member of the public submits a breaking news story as they are first on
scene. 11/30/2013 9:43 PM
 Members of the public, not professional journalists, bringing people news, usually in
the form of videos 11/28/2013 9:43 PM
These answers show that many people are aware as to what Citizen Journalism consists of
and have at least an understanding of what it is, this creates a valid reason to continue with
the investigation.
If you do understand what photojournalism is, please explain what you think it is.
 news in pictures 4/18/2014 12:52 PM

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 Photos that supplement or present information. 4/18/2014 10:44 AM
 visual evidence of an event 4/18/2014 10:13 AM
 Photojournalism is the expression of particular issues or events via a photograph.
This could be victims of war or children living in poverty depicted in a emotive
photograph. 4/17/2014 7:24 PM
 Using photography to tell the story, where an article cannot. 3/12/2014 2:40 PM
 The journalism behind the photograph. 2/14/2014 6:41 PM
 journalism that is photo lead 2/14/2014 5:33 PM
 Bit more of a guess here. So, I'd say that it's the art of professional photography
specifically for purposes of reportage. 12/12/2013 4:41 PM
 Journalism through Photographs. Photo-led stories. 11/30/2013 9:43 PM
 Bringing people news via photos 11/28/2013 9:43 PM
It was important for the respondents to understand the subject to this question was a
control question it appears that those that conducted the survey are aware and their
responses are valid to the conclusion of this investigation.
How do you think Citizen Journalism effects Photojournalism?
 anyone can take a picture 4/18/2014 12:52 PM
 It makes it more crowded. Citizen Journalism in some respects does the same thing -
somebody documenting an even or presenting it through pictures. 4/18/2014 10:44
AM
 an untrained citizen journalist may take photos that only show what they want it to
show, leaving contradictory information out. Rather than documenting what 'is' in a
photographic format. 4/18/2014 10:13 AM

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 Members of the public are taking opportune photographs which can be sold
regardless of their quality. This is detrimental to professional photojournalists.
4/17/2014 7:24 PM
 I would not see how it would affect it majorly but it may take away the credibility of
the journalists with jobs. 3/12/2014 2:40 PM
 I don't know what citizen journalism is. 2/14/2014 6:41 PM
 one feeds the other. Citizen journalism can bring issues into the view of photo
journalists 2/14/2014 5:33 PM
 Well, quite a lot. The bulk of the former is with someone on the spot taking a rough
and ready shot of an incident as it unfolds. It trades the timely-ness of the photo for
quality of actual photography. Unfortunately for the professional photojournalist, it's
more important to capture the moment than to capture it well. 12/12/2013 4:41 PM
 No 11/30/2013 9:43 PM
 Less need to hire photojournalists when members of the public can be cheaper and
produce the same results, albeit in a lesser quality 11/28/2013 9:43 PM
Looking at these answers suggests a varied view but lean towards the view Citizen
Journalism impacts Photojournalism in a negative manner, this is suggested by those
surveyed believing that there would be less need to hire a photojournalist because they can
provide the images quickly but such has been mentioned the image quality may lack. One
key point that stands out is “its more important to capture the moment than to capture it
well” in many cases photojournalists unless they have kept well ahead of many large events
such as the crisis in Ukraine, the moment is already captured by the likes of Citizen
Journalists therefore Photojournalists may possibly be slightly behind and miss they key

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events. This can be countered by using sources, social media and the news to pre-empt key
events and be in position before or as they happen.
Do you think technology is playing a deciding role in citizen journalism if so what technology
and how?
 yes HUGE 4/18/2014 12:52 PM
 Social media makes it very easy to spread information - as well as cameras and
phones being immediate and accessible recording devices. 4/18/2014 10:44 AM
 World Wide Web, Internet, Handheld recording and publishing. Anyone can report
anything from anywhere - only quality will set people apart in the future. 4/18/2014
10:13 AM
 Yes. Social media has an impact when considering citizen journalism. The digital age
allows the transfer and reporting of various things almost instantly. 4/17/2014 7:24
PM
 Yes, because anyone can post anything that they want wherever they want. This
allows for people to become well known quicker then a journalist with a legitimate
job. 3/12/2014 2:40 PM
 Not sure. 2/14/2014 6:41 PM
 yes. Mobiles, computers, all available it really 2/14/2014 5:33 PM
 Yes. Mobile phones. Need I say more? Ok. I'll say more. Since we got to about the
5MP level of cameraphone, it's has a huge effect. The phones used in the developing
world are good enough these days. 12/12/2013 4:41 PM
 Yes. Quotes via Twitter. 11/30/2013 9:43 PM

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 Mobile phones, they do everything a citizen journalist needs, and youtube, in order
to get the content out there 11/28/2013 9:43 PM
An overwhelming agreement to this question on the effects of technology playing a role
most notably camera phones and social media are they stand out points here, with images
being able to be uploaded almost instantly after being taken this creates a high level of
competition for Photojournalists who generally have to submit their work first of all to
editors/agents etc. before being published which creates a time delay whereas a Citizen
Journalist just uploads to social media and has the potential to go viral at any point. The idea
of going viral seems too have started with email and gradually as blogs and social media
took hold it has become more closely related to the video sharing site Youtube.
“Welcome to the "YouTube effect." It is the phenomenon whereby video clips, often
produced by individuals acting on their own, are rapidly disseminated worldwide on
websites such as YouTube and Google Video. YouTube has 34 million monthly visitors, and
65,000 new videos are posted every day. Most are frivolous, produced by and for the
teenagers who make up the majority of the site's visitors. But some are serious. YouTube
includes videos posted by terrorists, human rights groups and U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Some are
clips of incidents that have political consequences or document important trends, such as
global warming, illegal immigration and corruption. Some videos reveal truths. Others
spread propaganda and outright lies.
Fifteen years ago, the world marveled at the "CNN effect" and believed that the unblinking
eyes of TV cameras, beyond the reach of censors, would bring greater global accountability.
These expectations were, to some degree, fulfilled. Since the early 1990s, electoral frauds
have been exposed, democratic uprisings energized, famines contained and wars started or

29
stopped thanks to the CNN effect. But the YouTube effect will be even more powerful.
Although international news operations employ thousands of professional journalists, they
will never be as omnipresent as millions of people carrying cellphones that can record video.
Thanks to the ubiquity of video technology, the world was able to witness a shooting in a
19,000-foot-high mountain pass in Tibet.”(22)
Survey 2
This suggests that the general public would more than likely trust a man on the street with a
camera but would prefer that it is backed up by a Photojournalist on the ground. It is
interesting to see that people prefer Citizen Journalists to a Professional. To understand why
a number of follow up questions were asked.

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Please explain your answer as stated in Question 1
 A picture can tell a thousands words but can also explained better with someone
explaining it. 4/25/2014 5:41 AM
 They deliver it in news. 4/24/2014 10:05 PM
 I like professional but the view of the public is important too. 4/24/2014 9:38 PM
 When people video and take photos of events they are not thinking of an angle
to spin it on like a journalist would. They just record what they see. 4/24/2014
5:11 PM
 I believe that citizen's can provide instant honest information, while journalist
can elaborate on events through other sources 4/24/2014 3:19 PM
 Citizen journalists cannot be reliable as they have not been trained
professionally. They are good for on the ground, breaking news however they
aren't always ethically and legally sound. 4/24/2014 2:00 PM
 Professional journalists are often restricted in what they can publish by their
publishers. Citizen journalists are less likely to censor themselves. Of course you
could make the opposite argument, that because citizen journalists are not
forced to be unbiased they could include their own political biases. Perhaps this
should be taken in a case-by-case basis, but overall I think it's very positive that
we have citizen journalists such as those on the 'blogosphere' and sites like
Indymedia. 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
 personal comparisons I make in the news I am fed and the news I find myself.
4/22/2014 10:33 PM

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 To combine the depiction of multiple journalists would be the most accurate.
Citizen journos capture real life. Pros choose a specific image to take 4/21/2014
6:55 PM
These answers suggest that people believe Photojournalists are restricted by codes of
ethics, training and restricted by their editors/publishers. The answers also suggest that
citizen journalism is trusted because a Photojournalist looks for a particular angle
whereas a Citizen will just shoot whatever stands out to them.
The key points that stood out in this question was the point about political standing and
each photograph or set of photographs must be looked at individually on a case by case
basis. These points are a possible follow-up for further investigation.
Why do you think people are so willing to provide their images to news agencies?
 Depends on motive, some do it for money, others do it for a kick, while others do it
for informing people, your never know! 4/25/2014 5:41 AM
 To get money 4/24/2014 10:05 PM
 Money, fame 4/24/2014 9:38 PM
 I think they get some kind of self-gratification from seeing their work being used.
4/24/2014 5:11 PM
 To share news events 4/24/2014 3:19 PM
 Bit of fame and feeling like you've done something 4/24/2014 2:50 PM
 Good publicity, claimto fame. 4/24/2014 2:00 PM
 There is a certain impression among the people that if you're lucky enough to
capture an important moment on filmyou can get rich off of it, selling it to the news

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networks. I'm not sure whether this is true. There is also the element of being
pleased to see your own photograph used by a major publisher. 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
 it is their product, they want it to be seen. 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
 There is a sense of pride to be the first one with new and unique information/stories.
4/21/2014 6:55 PM
This question created a series of points the main point being that people see monetary gain
as a reason for submitting their photographs, this is in fact a myth with an image on average
being £10 per published photograph however it is rare that many photographs are paid for
due to there being published on social media where they become freely available to be
disseminated. The other views suggest that it is done purely to share an event but as
mentioned the main reasoning behind Citizen Journalism is a selfish jump for fame and
fortune.
Professional photographers carry out many self-motivated projects, do you follow any
particular photographers and if so who?
Of the respondents only 3 were aware and followed existing Photojournalists these were
 Martin Parr
 Amanda Cotton
 Vivian Maer
 Jan Husar
These are just a small number of Photographers, this suggests that many people are not
aware of the impact and level of work that goes into the media that they all more than likely
use on a daily basis. It was the same respondents that named these Photographers as those
that gave the most in depth responses.

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The fact so few photographers are known highlights the issue that Photojournalists are
underrated and under recognised, this is different to the likes of news journalists who are
known, this creates the question have people because of the amount of work used by news
agencies taken by the citizens forgotten about the importance of proper Photojournalism?
Why do you find the Photographer or Photographers you mentioned in the previous question
of particular interest?
 It's more light-hearted photography, tells a story. 4/24/2014 2:00 PM
 I really like seeing images from history, seeing what the world looked like at that
time. Particularly the 50s-70s. Vivian does really well to capture the people of that
time, including some great caricatures. 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
 I have met them, I know them, I know they are real and what they have to share
with the world is of quality 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
Looking at these results creates a picture this shows that people have a very personal
relationship with the works to the Photographers even from those that do not know them.
This highlights something that does not seemto be reciprocated with the works of citizen
Journalists. That conclusion is reached by the fact nobody came forward to advocate the
works of Citizen Journalists this is also highlighted in the final question of the survey where
nobody could provide even a link for an image taken by a Citizen.
Did you discover the photographer/s on social media if so which site did you use?
In response to this question only two people were able to respond.
 Twitter Tumblr Pinterest 4/24/2014 2:00 PM
 Reddit. I follow /r/historyporn and /r/oldschoolcool. 4/22/2014 10:33 PM

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Does this suggest that social media does not play as much of an active role in the world of
Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism as the initial thoughts of this investigation suggest?
The further research that this investigation is conducting shall look further into the use of
social media however if these findings continue as the results of this survey Photojournalism
could possibly struggle to remain as a viable form or reporting, or the total opposite could
be true.
What is your favourite news worthy photograph if possible please provide a link?
The following results highlight a lack of knowledge from some as well as an understanding of
the individuals.
 The one I remember of a starving African child and a vulture in a black and white
photo
 4/24/2014 10:05 PM
 The Chinese man In front of a row of tanks ( might not be Chinese but it's a famous
photo. My discriptive skills are not brilliant ) 4/24/2014 5:11 PM
 Wasn't sure how to answer this one, but I'll go with this:
http://electronicintifada.net/sites/electronicintifada.net/files/styles/large/public/14
0412-saji-darwish.jpg?itok=c69saSun 'Israel’s slaying of university student Saji
Darwish was not deemed newsworthy by the BBC' 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
 most items on Jan Husars facebook page. 4/22/2014 10:33 PM
 It's not an actual photograph, just one I would imagine to be a worthy photograph
would show the subject of the article and be interesting enough to make the viewer
read to see the explanation. 4/21/2014 6:55 PM

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The responses suggest that people recognise some of the most influential photographs that
have come out of photojournalism however they do not know who took them. The
conclusion from this question suggests that people prefer the works of photojournalists and
works that are able to tell a story.
4.b.ii Image analysis
4.b.ii.a Citizen Journalist images
“They were dragged out to be executed in a small, dusty courtyard in blazing sunlight. The
victims were half-naked, dazed, their underwear soaked in blood, their legs bleeding from
torture inflicted earlier. The expectant crowd, some armed with guns, others holding up
mobile phones to take what were presumably trophy photos, was baying for execution.”(18)
Image reliability: The image is on a blog that covers anti-western propaganda and is heavily
biased, there is no evidence to prove the image is staged or who took it, and equally there is
no time or date stamp.

36
Image Quality: The image is of poor quality suggesting that it was taken on a mobile phone,
the image is framed in a way that it is difficult to know the full picture suggesting this could
be staged or the article behind it is false, there are however news articles in the main
stream media that do express that summary mass executions such as this did occur and may
still be occurring. This creates a high level of doubt regarding the authenticity of the image
especially since it does not show any other people apart from the dead and since it is a
standalone image with no others to back it up that again creates a high level of doubt.
How was the image distributed? The image was distributed via social networking, the
particular site was WordPress, using the search term camera phone images from Syrian civil
war put this image on the first page of google, this suggests that the publisher of the
photograph is adept at using SEO (search engine optimisation) especially for an article of its
age. SEO is a key tool in a Citizen and Photojournalists arsenal if using social media such as
blogs to push a story or image to the online community.
One image does not show a story, it simply shows a window or a peek at a situation
therefore it could be argued that this image would not be classed as Journalistic. On the
other hand however what does make it newsworthy is the content, content and context are
key for an image to successful the image is put into context by the article and the content is
provokes emotion from the viewer.

37
“Mobile phone footage of Kafunda and Donovan robbing Ashraf Rossli was posted on
YouTube…Footage of the incident, which was recorded on a mobile phone and posted on
YouTube, caused widespread anger. A portable Sony PlayStation games console and 10
games were taken, valued at £500, Mr Rossli told the court. "I knew they were stealing from
me but I could do nothing," he said. "I was sat on the pavement with blood pouring from my
mouth.”I remember being approached by a male who asked if I was OK. I remember being
pulled to my feet, then I felt someone again tugging at my rucksack. "I was not in a position
to defend myself and was still suffering from the effects of being hit. Once they had taken
what they wanted they left."(23)
Images such as this dominated the London Riots and created a solid understanding of what
could be described as micro events within the riots in general. It is in situations such as
these that a Photojournalist would find difficulty in remaining safe with gangs of people
robbing anybody that may be carrying anything of worth of course a photographer can carry

38
thousands of pounds worth of equipment even when carrying the minimum they require to
operate.
Image Quality: Taken from a mobile phone the image quality is incredibly poor however the
content of the image was such that it reached the BBC website as well as being used as
evidence in a court case, when an image is used in this context the level of reliability has
been rigorously tested.
The image is a still taken from a video, this creates a solid narrative to the still. This
therefore makes the image photojournalistic, this also highlights a point that photographs
and stills at least in the perspective of Citizen Journalism that video can help validate the
story.
The image was distributed initially by social media, therefore creates a huge opening for
similar events to be publicised.

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4.b.ii.b Photojournalism images
“Ed Ou Libya” (24)
Ed Ou conducted a series of photographs during the Libya campaign to oust Gaddafi, he has
successfully conducted a number of projects in places such as Somalia, Egypt and Eastern
Europe. His work is reliable and he is represented by Getty images including this his work
has been published in papers such as The New York Times and The Sunday Times, this
provides a level of reliability for the image and the strength of Ed Ous’ character.
The image quality is incredibly high and would have been taken on a high end Digital SLR
camera. The level of quality in the image means it could potentially be published in any size
and on any medium this is in stark contrast to the 2 images taken on camera phones that
have already been looked at which would not be able to be used in larger format mediums
such as quality newspapers.

40
The image is backed up by a series of photographs which provide the rest of the story
therefore this image is clearly a viable Photojournalist piece because it is part of a story.
The image was published on the Getty Images website and through the use of SEO appears
highly on image searches for the Libyan civil war and ousting of Gaddaffi.
Tom Stoddart iWitness(27) This image is part of a series in which Tom Stoddart was
embedded with Royal Marines, this straight away creates a high level of reliablity due to the
stringent controls that embedded Journalists must undergo to allow them to work with the
armed forces, this therefore enforces restrictions on what can and cannot be published.
Looking at an image such as this
The image appears to have been shot on black and white film as is much of his work, again
this creates a level of authenticity, it shows that it has not been doctored.

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The quality of the image even though shot on film is of incredibly high standard and similarly
with the photograph by Ed Ou this could potentially be publish in any size, format and on
any medium with little or no loss of quality, this sort of quality is essential in securing work
and publication by higher end publishers.
This image was initially published in a book that was highly acclaimed and only later
published on the Getty images website and the internet to reach a wider audience through
the use of SEO.
4.b.iii Interviews
For the interviews a set series of questions were used these were;
1. As a Photographer what is your area of expertise?
2. What do you class as Photojournalism?
3. What do you class as Citizen Journalismin terms of Photography?
4. Do you see Citizen Journalism as a positive or negative influence on
Photojournalists?
5. Are Citizen Photographers in your opinion classed as competition?
6. Has social media played a positive or negative role for Photojournalists?
7. Do you find that since more and more people are submitting images to newspapers
and social media sites etc that this has limited the availability for work? Or has it
simply provided another aspect and newspapers etc more stories for Professional
Photojournalists to follow up?
Using these questions as a basis allowed follow-up questions relevant to the interviewees’
responses, as with any interview a high level of flexibility is required to ensure as much
information as possible is gathered.

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Interviewees’
4.b.iii.a Adam Scott
Adam Scott is also a professional working photographer. “Adam has spent a lifetime
capturing the real joy of ordinary people doing exceptional things. From hospitals and
schools through to business and sports, Adam has an eye for the moment that makes
everything worthwhile. His pictures are authentic. They represent the best of us, whether
that be striving for a goal, celebrating an achievement, or just kicking back with our friends.
Adam’s credentials are impeccable. He is highly experienced in handling delicate situations
and vulnerable people, has excellent technical skills, as well as the ability to manage the
temperament of celebrities and business leaders.”(20)
Adam Scott has a large number of testimonials, describing the quality of work, as well as
being a lecturer this creates another reliable interviewee.
During the interview Adam Scott made a large number of important points in relation to this
investigation. He was asked the sample questions as above and provided in depth
responses.
His career started as a music and sports photographer working for the now defunct Melody
Maker magazine, specialising in a Reportage style of work his career and skills lie solely in
Photojournalism. Throughout the interview he expressed on multiple occasions that
Photojournalists and Photographers in general need to constantly reinvent themselves so as
to stay at the forefront and not blend into the background.
This opinion expressed by Adam is a defining issue for Photographers and highlights the
level of work required to maintain a high level of competitiveness, having to maintain a

43
fresh approach to photography means that having a specialismis not the luxury in which it
used to be.
A lot like many individuals he classes Photojournalism as “a series of images or any single
image that tells a story” on the opposite side Citizen Journalism he sees simply as a term
coined by apps and social media such as Instagram, Twitter, WordPress etc. his reasoning
behind this was down to his explanation of Photojournalism every image or set of images
tells a story so therefore there are only Photojournalists.
When asked about his thoughts regarding social media he explained “social media is a tool,
however it does not create competition for professional Photojournalists” this he suggested
is because a good Photojournalist will use social media and their contacts to stay ahead of
the story, a stand out quote from the interview that forces Photojournalists to try and stay
ahead was “once images for a story are broken that is the end of the story for
Photographers.” This would appear to be true with many news outlets using the same
images for a story.
In terms of using technology he believes that Technology has dumbed down
photojournalism “if you haven’t got the brains your pissing your money up the wall” was his
exact line, with the evolution of digital and its total dominance of the photographic industry
creating a reliance and an era of disposable images which is slowly bringing down the skill
level as multiple photographs can be taken at no cost.
When asked the final question he made a point that stands out “they are taking food off the
table for Professional Photographers” this was in regards to people that submit images
without any reward just to have their photographs published, he suggested it was
irresponsible and could potentially lead to unreliable images out of context etc. however he

44
does advise that “citizen journalism” is a tool for professional photojournalists and helps
provides leads.
In conclusion this interview was in depth and provided a lot of thoughts, Adam was
incredibly passionate about the subject however there were instances where he
contradicted himself in regards to if Citizen Journalism is has a negative impacted as on one
hand he said it has no effect and on the other he claimed that it is taking the food off the
table for professionals.
4.b.iii.b David Høgsholt
“David Høgsholt is a Danish photographer based in Shanghai. He focuses on social issues and
human rights stories often opting for a long-term project approach. He is a two-time World
Press Photo award winner as well as the recipient of a combined eight Picture of the Year
International and Best of Photojournalism awards in the US. David has worked for
publications such as The New Yorker, Time, Stern and The New York Times. He is currently
working on his first story for National Geographic.”(25)
David Høgsholt, specialises in a reportage style however has conducted extensive work In
portraiture, in terms of subjects, he is best known for his work on social issues such as his
project based upon prostitution and drugs.
His early influences where Anders Petersen and Eugene Richards, it was these
Photojournalists that led him to the photograph social issues, it has only been since 2005
when he received The Ian Parry grant that his work expanded into further issues.
The interview went incredibly and highlighted a huge range of issues his points also seemto
support and be in line with those of Adam Scott.

45
When asked what he believes Photojournalism is he gave a heavily detailed answer.
“So much can and should be considered photojournalism. I am tempted to say just about
anything that will "educate" using pictures, or give me info me on a subject, an issue, or
educate me on an emotional level. It can be a Chinese girl's artsy iPhone diary snapshots or it
can be Tyler Hicks in a besieged Kenyan mall. So, it's just about anyone who wants to tell a
Journalistic story in pictures.” (26)
The short version of his answer suggests that Photojournalism is a method of telling stories
through images he does however also suggest that anyone can be a Photojournalist as long
as the images have “some sort of objective means of telling stories in pictures would be
Photojournalism.”(26)
In relation to Citizen Journalism as photography he compares Citizen Journalists to Amateur
Photojournalists with the reasoning “if they made their living by it, they would cease being
"citizens" and become pros”(26) He recognises also that activism can sometimes replace
Citizen Journalism, when activism takes over a piece of work it the individual would no
longer fall under the title of Journalist.
Unlike Adam Scott however he sees that Citizen Journalism “should be and is a positive
influence” to support this he wrote a seemingly passionate support for Citizen Journalism “At
the end of the day, there can really not be enough story tellers. Unless they start being
conniving manipulators but then, they would cease to be Journalists, Citizen or not.”(26) he
provided further support for them by suggesting that society is over saturated with bad
Journalism and non-essential information, “I'd venture to say, if you look at the bottom third
of what we see in media outlets, it can hardly get any worse and an untrained, honest citizen
journo could very well be a very good addition to the hordes of information bringers and
story tellers out there.” In looking at his response to this question he certainly stands out

46
against the majority of Photojournalists, his response is closer to that of the everyday
individuals with his suggestions that it adds value to Journalism.
David does not believe that Citizen Journalists are direct competition with much of the
competition coming from TV and wire agencies that have been in play for a lot longer than
the advent of Citizen Journalism he stated “to be honest, the only real competition we have is
that people just don't care as much as they used to. Our readers used to be hungry for
information, now they have too much and too much of it is below standard.” This response
suggests that it is the volume of information that is the real competition for pro
Photojournalists.
The only part of journalism that he sees is effected by Citizen Journalism would be the
type(s) of Journalist that is “living in the back of your car cruising the streets at night,
scanning police radio frequencies for the next murder or derailed train, then maybe you are
feeling threatened.”(26)
Citizen Journalism is the first wave and provides a rough draft is a suggestion that David
made by saying “with a longer term approach after guy who happened to be there with his
smart phone is long gone. My work will more easily stand out on the subject because of the
very different approach from the first wave. And that's even when my approach is the most
classic. Perhaps, old school is becoming the new, new school soon…. And maybe in some
ways, he being there first helped engage an even bigger audience that like me, could now be
wondering what happened after the news faded.”(26) This suggests that Citizen Journalism is
a tool to provide further leads to a story.
Social Media for David Hogsholt in a similar fashion to Adam Scott does not seemto have
had any major impact he did however give a more in depth explanation in regards to the
subject though “On the networking level it has helped. It's easier for a photographer to keep
in touch with a lot of editors and stories are sometimes pitched or sold on FB now. Editors on

47
occasion find stories and photos on FB and twitter and that's good. The agency model for
representing photographers is soon to be dead and freelance photojournalists have to use any
means possible to get word out about their work. Going to Perp and doing the rounds in
NYC, London, Paris and Hamburg is expensive. It's not bad doing that, but keeping in touch
on social media is just a great addition. Social media and crowd founding is linked as well
and the latter is an amazing new way of funding stories that traditional outlets can't anymore.
As said, In terms of publicizing on social media I don't have much of an opinion.”(26)
This might suggest then that social media for Freelance Photojournalists provides a method
of funding for their projects. Many Photojournalists to be able to launch a project require
funding so as to be able to complete and submit a project.
For the final question he sees that media “outlets will generally just buy the
best/cheapest/easiest to get picture of any given event.”(26) This he suggested is due to there
being “very little loyalty in the business from the side of the editors towards the
Photographers (there are worthy exceptions to this though). So, I always felt that being
a freelancer was about constantly having to convince and remind people that you are still
worthy.”(26) The idea of reinventing their images seems to be common among
Photojournalists and this is possibly the reason a lot of Photographers struggle to remain
competitive.
His final point seems to sum up a general view about Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism
“To put it bluntly and a bit on edge, I can't really recall seeing any pics by citizen journos that
I wish I had taken. But I still see dozens of pics by my docu peers that I would have been
honored to take. Mind you, I have no wish to be in the middle of a plane crash or terror attack
or the likes. But say, local police behaved crazy one summer and there were a ton of phone
snapshots of them doing violent arrests etc. Then maybe I would think about doing a portrait
series of people who had been victims of that. In that way, when I approached an outlet with

48
the idea or finished project, they might be more alert to the story and especially open to a
deeper look at it.”
Essentially he does not see Citizen Journalism as a threat to Journalism in instances it is even
as has been suggested an effective tool for those that understand how to follow-up a story.
4.c Success of Research
Research is essential to reaching a conclusion to a study the research conducted here has
created the means with which to answer the research questions, this will be discussed in the
conclusions and further study chapter.
The research may have gone well however there were a number of issues that slowed down
and if they had not been resolved would have created problems with the reliability and the
ability to complete the investigation both accurately and within the time parameters. In
terms of accuracy the surveys could have been jeopardised due to the lack of responses,
therefore it was essential to promote the survey through the means of social media and
word of mouth to targeted audiences, this allowed respondents to have a meaningful and
knowledgeable view of the discussed issues.
In regards to the interviews, the investigation due to the working environment of
Photojournalists struggled to contact and find willing interviewees that were able to find the
time to take part in the investigation.

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5. Conclusions and Further Study
5.a Introduction
The research has provided a number of answers and insights into the investigation and
research questions. Although some aspects of the study were not able to be completed due
to word count restrictions.
5.b How has technology effected Citizen Journalism?
The investigation concludes that Citizen Journalism has been effected in a positive manner
by technology, this is due to a number of reasons such as Camera Phones and Social Media.
The study reached this conclusion through information gleaned from existing research
papers, the surveys and looking at images taken by Citizen Journalists.
In terms of the Camera Phone and in tandem mobile internet every individual straight away
has the potential to be a Journalist. This is due to the massive use of Social Media by the
public, who seemto use social media to document much of their daily lives therefore if an
event is newsworthy it becomes quickly shared across the internet. Social media has
provided a lot of power as just mentioned through the power of sharing information the
work may however be of poorer quality and carry more bias than that of a professional
Journalist.
For Photojournalists this essentially has created a scenario in which every individual has the
opportunity to compete with Photojournalists even if that competition is at a low level. The
technology boom has however assisted Photojournalists and boosted their roles in the news
media industry.

50
5.c How have Photographers adapted to the growth of Citizen Journalists?
Photographers have adapted to the growth of Citizen Journalism in a way that may appear
to be unexpected they use Citizen Journalism as a tool to develop their own work and to
essentially launch new leads and follow-ups to stories and events. This was suggested
throughout the interviews that have been conducted within this investigation. Looking at
the evidence however Photojournalists may not have had to adapt in as many ways as one
may initially think, once the surface has been scratched it shows that as long as
Photojournalists and Journalists alike use the stories that Citizen Journalists create then
there is no risk of competition etc.
Secondly as long as Photojournalists keep up with technology the ability to adapt coupled
with the already highly competitive photographic industry, they will not fall behind.
The suggestion here therefore is that Photographers/Photojournalists have not had to
specifically adapt to Citizen Journalism and a number of factors would have forced
Photojournalists to adjust more to technology than to Citizen Journalists and they must
harness the available technology more so than individuals.
5.d How reliable is Citizen Journalism?
Citizen Journalism is in many instances reliable, generally when major events occur the
average citizen will post images, videos etc. in a manner that is true and accurate to the
event.
Citizen Journalism in the same manner as any form of Journalism, however ceases to be
Journalism when it starts to become motivated to a point where it becomes activismand or
extremism once it reaches these thresholds the article or for the purposes of this

51
investigation photograph becomes instantly biased and creates doubt to the images
authenticity and or context.
This therefore suggests that Yes in general Citizen Journalism is accurate and true to life.
However the context of the image and/or article should always be considered before
believing the content and meaning of the piece.
5.e What do Freelance Photographers and Photojournalists have to do to compete with
Citizen Journalists?
The research conducted suggests that no competition as such exists between the two ideas,
because essentially both Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism are terms created to cover
Photographs that tell a story. Both of the Photojournalists interviewed believed that Citizen
Journalists did not pose a threat to Photojournalists that worked hard and kept ahead of the
competition, just like any career this puts those that work hard get ahead of the game and
those that don’t get left behind. The biggest competition to Photojournalists seems to be
other Photojournalists due to the fact they have to keep reinventing themselves just to
remain noticed amongst declining budgets, publications and new Photojournalists.
In conclusion to this question Photojournalists, to remain competitive must harness the
power of social media to pre-empt events and issues such as civil unrest, use the stories that
Citizen Journalists highlight and to keep their work at a high standard while maintaining
basic Journalistic ethics.

52
5.f Conclusion
In conclusion this investigation has been able to reach the set objectives that had been set
so as to be able to understand and reach a final concise and accurate conclusion.
The study was able to discover how the boom in technology is effecting Photojournalists
and Citizen Journalists. The answer being it has effected Citizen Journalism through the
advent of camera phones and social media but it has not had a defining impact on
Photojournalists this is supported by interviews and surveys completed by participants in
the research section of this investigation.
The reliability of Citizen Journalism was a difficult issue to reach a conclusion with due to
there being no clear answer however one quote that came to the foreground defines what
stops Journalism of any form being Journalism.
“Where it becomes tricky is when citizen journalism is more activismthan journalism. I think
what good journo schools teach their students is to strive for that elusive objectivity and be
very aware of its limitations and being honest about what influences it. Activists have an
agenda and as such stop being journalists…Unless they start being conniving manipulators
but then, they would cease to be journalists, citizen or not. There are bad carpenters and
there are bad journos as well.”
This investigation realised the level of competition between Photographers and Citizen
Journalists is non-existent there is no competition between the two.
Finally this study has shown in a broad manner the evolution of the Photojournalist,
essentially Photojournalists have gone from being just Photographers to playing the role of
editors, writers IT specialists and photographers this jump has streamlines the photographic

53
industry and created a huge workload this evolution has made photography one of the most
rapidly advancing and changing job roles when compared with other careers.
5.g Further Study
Furthers studies are required to reinforce the conclusions of this investigation, studies such
as looking into activismand how that has impacted Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism.
This is important after finding that Journalism as a whole could be becoming more politically
charged so as to gain a larger following, this is mostly noticed in blogs etc.
To further reinforce the study the evolution of the role of Photojournalism is required to
create a solid support and understanding as to what Photojournalists have had to do to
keep up with the times.
Essentially each individual research question should be researched more in depth as
individual subjects so as to give support to this study.

54
6. Bibliography
6.a Websites
 http://www.bbc.co.uk
o News in Pictures
 http://www.oxforddictionaries.com
 http://www.snapsurveys.com
 https://learnuw.wisc.edu/
 Anglia Ruskin E-vision resources
 http://grammar.about.com
 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fellowships/fellows-research-papers.html
 http://cima.ned.org/publications/research-reports
 www.sagepub.com
 http://www.adorama.com
 http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu
 http://rafzen.wordpress.com
 https://www.surveymonkey.com
 http://www.jonathanolley.com
 http://adamscott.co.uk
 http://electronicintifada.net/sites/electronicintifada.net/files/styles/large/public/14
0412-saji-darwish.jpg?itok=c69saSun
 http://articles.latimes.com
 http://www.reddit.com/
 http://www.reportagebygettyimages.com
 http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk

55
 http://www.nytimes.com/
 http://www.davidhogsholt.com
6.b Texts
 Doing a Literature Review. Jeffrey W. Knopf, Naval Postgraduate School
 Telling stories to a different beat: Photojournalism as a “Way of Life” Naomi Verity
Busst, BPhoto, MJ
 TWEET FIRST, VERIFY LATER? How real-time information is changing the coverage of
worldwide crisis events by Nicola Bruno Michaelmas
 By the People: The Rise of Citizen Journalism By Eugene L. Meyer A Report to the
Center for International Media Assistance
 Research and Evaluation in Education and Psychology
 Understanding Research Results: Description and Correlation Experimental
Psychology by Arlo Clark-Foos

56
7. Appendices
7.a Participation forms
Participant Consent Form
NAME OF PARTICIPANT:
Title of the project: The Impact of Citizen Journalism on the Modern Photojournalist.
Main investigator and contact details:
Mr Shay Woods
shaywoodsjourno@hotmail.co.uk
07710666521
1. I agree to take part in the above research. I have read the Participant Information Sheet
which is attached to this form. I understand what my role will be in this research, and all
my questions have been answered to my satisfaction.
2. I understand that I am free to withdraw from the research at any time, for any reason and
without prejudice.
3. I have been informed that the confidentiality of the information I provide will be safeguarded.
4. I am free to ask any questions at any time before and during the study.
5. I have been provided with a copy of this form and the Participant Information Sheet.
Data Protection: I agree to the University1 processing personal data which I have
supplied. I agree to the processing of such data for any purposes connected with
the Research Project as outlined to me*
*Note to researchers: please amend or add to this clause as necessary to
ensure that it conforms with the relevant data protection legislation in your
country
1 “The University” includes Anglia Ruskin University and its partner colleges

57
Name of participant (print)………………………….Signed………………..….Date………………
YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS FORM TO KEEP
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you wish to withdraw from the research, please complete the form below and
return to the main investigator named above.
Title of Project: The Impact of Citizen Journalism on the Modern Photojournalist.
I WISH TO WITHDRAW FROM THIS STUDY
Signed: __________________________________ Date: _____________________

58
7.b Participant Information Sheet
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
Section A: The Research Project
1. Title of project: The Impact of Citizen Journalism on the Modern Photojournalist.
2. Purpose and value of study: The study is to examine the effects
3. I invite you to participate in the
4. Who is organising the research: Mr Shay Woods Anglia Ruskin University Undergraduate
Journalism Student.
5. What will happen to the results of the study
6. Contact for further information: Mr Shay Woods 07710666521
Section B: Your Participation in the Research Project
1. Why you have been invited to take part
2. Whether you can refuse to take part: You are free to refuse to take part in the study at any
point in your participation
3. Whether you can withdraw at any time, and how: If you wish to withdraw at any time please
contact me on the attached contact information.
4. What will happen if you agree to take part (brief description of procedures/tests): If you wish
to take part in this research you will be requested to answer questions related to the study, in
particular your own opinions.
5. Whether there are any risks involved (e.g. side effects from taking part) and if so what will be
done to ensure your wellbeing/safety: There are no risks to your personal safety if you feel
you are at risk contact the relevant authorities and I shall assist with their investigations.
6. Agreement to participate in this research should not compromise your legal rights should
something go wrong contact the local constabulary.

59
7. Whether there are any special precautions you must take before, during or after taking part
in the study: Not Applicable
8. What will happen to any information/data/samples that are collected from you: The
Information collected shall be used to reach a conclusion to the study, the information may
be stored and used only in accordance with the study, ifyou wishto be anonymous any details
that may identify you shall be removed.
9. Whether there are any benefits from taking part: There are no personal benefits for taking
part in the study.
10. How your participation in the project will be kept confidential: Your personal details will not
be shared with any third party and will only be used to
YOU WILL BE GIVEN A COPY OF THIS TO KEEP,
TOGETHER WITH A COPY OF YOUR CONSENT FORM

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7.c Email Interview with David Hogsholt
Dear Shay,
I am pretty busy these days, so I'll just have to shoot from the hip, typos and all.
Also, I try not to be too academic about photography as a whole. I have found that there is
only so much you gather from talking about it. It has to be practiced to make sense. I am not
taking a stab at an academic approach, just saying some of my arguments may be lacking or
may even end up as not making 100% sense. Exactly like photography itself;-)
I have to admit that I did not know Mccullin's work in great depth until just before I met him
- he is the patron of The Ian Parry grant which I was lucky enough to receive back in… 2005?
Up until then, I had not looked at much war and crisis photography but looked more at local
photographers, Scandinavian art/documentarists and a few select international ones. I'd
say, at the time my biggest influences were, and still are, (early) Anders Petersen and
Eugene Richards for their social issues work.
Q: What do I class as Photojournalism?
A: Hmmm, tricky one. Tricky because so, so much can and should be considered
photojournalism. I am tempted to say just about anything that will "educate" me using
pictures. Educate or give me info me on a subject, an issue, or educate me on an emotional
level. It can be a Chinese girl's artsy iPhone diary snapshots or it can be Tyler Hicks in a
besieged Kenyan mall. Of course, that is putting it on edge, but journalism is such a wide
field and (photo)journalist is not a title you have to go to school to obtain. So, it's just about
anyone who want to tell a journalistic story in pics. The outlets are so many nowadays as
well. So, whether it is told on a blog, social media or The Sunday Times Magazine matters

61
less as well. What I look for is a some sort of true voice that I can believe in. Mind you, I
don't have to agree and it might not even have to be objective - as long as it is honest. But
for the most part, I'd say a striving for some sort of objective means of telling stories in
pictures would be Photojournalism.
Q: What's Citizen Journalism to you?
A: Sorry, another non-straight answer from me. (Luckily) I have been out of journo school
for so long that I have forgotten the definition. I am sure there is one. To me, it's just about
anyone who uses a camera of any kind to tell any kind of journalistic story. So, you might as
well call them amateur photojournos as if they made their living by it, they would seize
being "citizens" and become pros, haha. Where it becomes tricky is when citizen journalism
is more activismthan journalism. I think what good journo schools teach their students is to
strive for that elusive objectivity and be very aware of its limitations and being honest about
what influences it. Activists have an agenda and as such stop being journalists. Again, there
are a ton of exceptions to this rule. I'd say part of my reason behind my Mia work had an
agenda and some of the work was used to influence politicians and to advocate for nurse-
staffed "shooting clinics" and such. But at the same time, my project is a 100% honest
depiction of her life and as such it is journalism. So, I am not saying you can not have an
agenda as a journalist, but you can not manipulate facts and situations to depict another
reality. If a non-pro abides by these rules, then I'll consider it journalism.
Q: Citizen Journalism, positive or neg?
A: I think it should be and is a positive influence. I can't really see how it could not be. As
said, being a journo is not really something that is bestowed upon a select few by the grace
of whoever feel they have such power (a university, an editor?). At the end of the day, there

62
can really not be enough story tellers. Unless they start being conniving manipulators but
then, they would seize to be journalists, citizen or not. There are bad carpenters and there
are bad journos as well. Some do bad research and write or shoot boringly and that's fine.
They'll influence readers and their communities less. But I can't really say that any journo
should not report. Is there too much sports in TV? Yes. Are there too many stupid reality
shows and too many non-stories, yes. So, we are already saturated with bad journalism and
non-essential info. The issue is not whether citizen journos add to the numbers of journos.
The issue is whether they bring quality journalism. I'd venture to say, if you look at the
bottom third of what we see in media outlets, it can hardly get any worse and an untrained,
honest citizen journo could very well be a very good addition to the hordes of information
bringers and story tellers out there.
Q: Are Citizen Photographers in your opinion classed as competition?
A: Nope. Well… on bad days when I think about our the state of our industry everything is
competition. Grabbing frames from 4/6/8K video instead of proper stills, young upcoming
guys and girls working on their savings and giving away their best work for free to get a foot
in the door;-). Under-paying clients and so on and so forth.
But to be honest, the only real competition we have is that people just don't care as much
as they used to. Our readers used to be hungry for information, now hey have too much and
too much of it is below standard.
As I see it, the only real competition (as in threatening jobs and income of pros) that citizen
journalists bring to the table is on hardcore news. Terror attacks, bank robberies, 747 crash
in your backyard, all those on the spot kinda things. But they are a non-issue for me as I
don't really cover them. And a lot of that was lost to TV and wire agencies a long time ago

63
anyway. But if you were the guy living in the back of your car cruising the streets at night,
scanning police radio frequencies for the next murder or derailed train, then maybe you are
feeling threatened.
But, in some ways, citizen journos help me differentiate from that even more as if I would
go in to cover those things, it would likely be later, with a longer term approach after guy
who happened to be there with his smart phone is long gone. My work will more easily
stand out on the subject because of the very different approach from the first wave. And
that's even when my approach is the most classic. Perhaps, old school is becoming the new
new school soon…. And maybe in some ways, him being there first have helped engage an
even bigger audience that like me, could now be wondering what happened after the news
faded.
Q: Social Media's role?
A: Not sure it has played much of a role at all in terms of a platform for publicizing. But truth
be told, I haven't really given it much thought. On the networking level it has helped. It's
easier for a photog to keep in touch with a lot of editors and stories are sometimes pitched
or sold on FB now. Editors on occasion find stories and photos on FB and twitter and that's
good. The agency model for representing photogs is soon to be dead and freelance
photojournalists have to use any means possible to get word out about their work. Going to
Perp and doing the rounds in NYC, London, Paris and Hamburg is expensive. It's not bad
doing that, but keeping in touch on social media is just a great addition. Social media and
crowd founding is linked as well and the latter is an amazing new way of funding stories that
traditional outlets can't anymore.
As said, In terms of publicizing on social media I don't have much of an opinion.

64
Q: Do you find that since more and more people are submitting images to newspapers and
social media sites etc that this has limited the availability for work? Or has it simply provided
another aspect and newspapers etc more stories for Professional Photojournalists to follow
up?
A: Hmmm, difficult to answer. Firstly, I think the vast majority of outlets will often just buy
the best/cheapest/easiest to get picture of any given event. There is actually very little
loyalty in the business from the side of the editors towards the photogs (there are worthy
exceptions to this though). So, I always felt that being a freelancer was about constantly
having to convince and remind people that you are still worthy. Diminished budgets
probably play an even greater role than more photogs being in the mix now. And again, as
long as most citizen journalism is either borderline activismor hardcore news, I don't think it
impacts me and my chances to get published much if any. To put it bluntly and a bit on
edge, I can't really recall seeing any pics by citizen journos that I wish I had taken. But I still
see dozens of pics by my docu peers that I would have been honored to take. Mind you, I
have no wish to be in the middle of a plane crash or terror attack or the likes. But say, local
police behaved crazy one summer and there were a ton of phone snapshots of them doing
violent arrests etc. Then maybe I would think about doing a portrait series of people who
had been victims of that. In that way, when I approached an outlet with the idea or finished
project, they might be more alert to the story and especially open to a deeper look at it.
Cheers,
D.
Best regards/Venlig hilsen

65
Photographer David Høgsholt
Chinese cell: +86-1861-6769-670
mail@davidhogsholt.com
www.davidhogsholt.com
8.References
(1) Peter Horrocks. (2008). Value of Citizen journalism. [online] Available:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/01/value_of_Citizen_journalism.html.
[Last accessed 29/12/2013.]
(2) Oxford University Press. (2013). Definition of Citizen journalism in English. [online]
Available: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Citizen-journalism.
[Last accessed 29/12/2013.]
(3) Oxford University Press. (2013). Definition of photojournalism in English. [online]
Available:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/photojournalism?q=photojou
rnalism. [Last accessed 29/12/2013.]
(4) Unknown. (2014). Qualitative vs Quantitative Research. [online]Available:
http://www.snapsurveys.com/qualitative-quantitative-research/. [Last accessed
12/03/14.]
(5) Unknown. (2014). Qualitative vs Quantitative Research. [online]Available:
http://www.snapsurveys.com/qualitative-quantitative-research/. [Last accessed
12/03/14.]

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