The Downside of 'Citizen Journalism'

The Downside of 'Citizen Journalism' The Downside of 'Citizen Journalism'
By David Coursey September 22, 2005 - Opinion: Lack of editorial oversight opens door for unfounded allegations that damage credibility, harm reputations and waste time. I am not a big fan of the "citizen journalism" being practiced on the Internet these days. One of the tenets of "real" journalism is that you don't distribute information that hasn't been checked. Citizen publishers are under no such obligation, so the information that winds up in blogs and distributed on mailing lists must always be considered suspect, even if sent with the best of intentions.
[NOTE: Citizen journalists are subject to the same obligations imposed by libel law as are "real" journalists. -tp.]