Problems With ‘Citizen Journalism’
Posted on May 15, 2008, by Hanna Ingber Win, under International, Media.
The inability of foreign correspondents to enter Burma and the government’s strict censorship of the local media make the country a perfect breeding ground for citizen journalism. Burmese and foreigners living there take photographs, write stories and engage in acts of journalism. Without the presence of many professionals, such citizen journalism has been crucial to spreading information on what happens in the closed, isolated land of Burma. But there can also be pitfalls.
Burmanet, which disseminates a daily collection of international articles and commentaries on Burma, put out an alert to its readers to beware of false photographs of the cyclone and its aftermath. It says that while many photographs are legitimate, people have been sending around images that might have come from the Tsunami. Burmanet says this is worrisome because it will affect the relief efforts.
This could have serious consequences, compounding the difficulty of the already complicated efforts to coax the Burmese regime to let in aid and aid workers. Therefore, we encourage you to be vigilant and practice caution when attributing anonymous photos about Cyclone Nargis. Be sure to examine the photo accreditation in order to ensure that the images you are viewing have come from a trusted source. If in doubt, don’t send it.
Inaccurate news and photographs can also affect the credibility of all information coming out of Burma.
