Dear Citizen Photojournalists: Who are you? Studying the motivations and values of citizen photojournalists

Abstract

The photojournalistic landscape is undergoing dramatic change, and professional photojournalism is increasingly being supplemented with – and in some cases, replaced with – amateur, citizen photojournalistic content. This study undertakes to examine these changes in the visual change in the news environment by looking at the motivations and values of citizen photojournalist through interviews with 19 citizen photojournalists. The findings suggest that citizen photojournalists are savvy to the values and photojournalism, but often reject these normative values in lieu of values that reflect the characteristics of amateur content-creators.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tara M. Mortensen

Tara Mortensen is an assistant professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of South Carolina. She earned her doctorate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2013. She studies the de-professionalization of visual media in the era of the amateur content creator.

Julie Jones

Julie Jones is an associate professor at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, co-founder of OUStormCrowd, national chair for the National Press Photographers Association News Video Workshop, and, in 2012, was one of ten professors nationwide named as Kappa Alpha Theta’s Outstanding Faculty. Jones earned her doctorate from the University of Minnesota in 2010.

Ana Keshelashvili

Ana Keshelashvili is a doctoral student at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina. She earned her Master’s degree in Mass Communication at the Louisiana State University. Keshelashvili studies social media, citizen media and audience participation in news production.