MIDTERM EXAMINATION - DIONISIO, YANCE LYSHA M.

 Yance Lysha M. Dionisio         April 12, 2024

BAJ - 2B         Citizen and Community Journalism

Midterm Examination

1. Using your own words, compare Citizen Journalism to Community Journalism. 5-10 sentences only.

Based on my understanding, citizen journalism is more of people’s initiatives and efforts, more of people who experienced it first hand and on the ground, without experiences but they are aware of the reality of what’s happening within their community. It is the people, the ordinary ones, who gather their thoughts and make up their minds to inform others of what is needed to know of what is happening in certain areas that is covered within their communities. Community journalism on the other hand is journalists with experience, with expertise who go down to a certain area to observe and cover what’s happening in there, what issues they are facing and reporting it and documenting it in order for ordinary people to be aware and understand the certain issues that a community has. It is digging deeper from a problem that starts on the surface level, making it known and putting effort to make it known. I also believe that it is interconnected somehow, a citizen could be curious and made an effort for a problem to be known, for it to be addressed and calls the attention of authorities and then a journalist could start there, going inside of the issue that a citizen tried to call out, a journalist could start there and dig deeper in order for certain issues to be known by people and even authorities. It is somehow a bridge between people and journalism that could be crossed when done properly. 

2. Which social issues in the Philippines can be addressed by Community journalism. Explain how and why? 5-10 sentences only.

I would like to make an example from our topic in our target community in our pursuing story. Although a very specific area in the Philippines, it is relevant for the people in our community, it is basically targeting the commuters and drivers of McArthur Highway along Malolos, Bulacan The mandated traffic lights on Malolos has been a hot issue among the people because it caused a heavier traffic that infuriate lots of people even us. Now that we are pursuing the story, we have been able to at least understand a bit about it, and by understanding it, we can be able to disseminate to people what’s causing it and make them understand the roots of the problem. Many ordinary citizens would blame the government and it is understandable but how would the local government make the citizens aware of it, community journalism could help. Investigating it and making it known, building a bridge of awareness and putting the steps that the government is trying to amend the issue and making the citizens aware of what they could also be doing at the same time.