Wikileaks and Julian Assange. First hearing these names and of the business they were in, there was no doubt in my mind that what Assange was doing and trying to achieve was what society needed…. total transparency on behalf of governments. This was when Collateral Damage was released.

Since then after the release of other wikileaks projects, it is clear and to no surprise that the government has been methodically trying to discredit and delegitimize the work of Julian Assange. I believe to the need of an independent body like Wikileaks to break the tough stories and ask question that many press mainstream corporations don’t report.  However, Understanding more on this issue I ask the question what good can come from hacking? The hacker’s belief is that all information should be free. Doesn’t sit well with me. 

Pro or faux ?

Ok so citizen journalism is when individuals do essentially what professional reporters do, report information and it’s usually found online. The emergence of the Internet and with it blogs, podcasts, streaming video and other Web-related innovations is what has made citizen journalism possible.  But is this a good thing?  For people to be getting their news and information from those who have no journalistic experience?

The Internet has given average people like you and me the ability to transmit information globally. This was a power once reserved for only the very largest media corporations and news agencies. I understand that our fourth of estate or our ‘watch dogs’ do at times leave a lot to be desired in terms of the quality or pushing views on to it audience. However I am not so sold on the idea of citizen journalism.

I agree that some people who have never studied or practiced journalism are good at it and may be even better than those found in the profession. But like any profession I can image that there are rules, practices and a code of ethics that need to be followed and I’m not quite sure citizen journalist would fulfill these needs.

Citizen journalism does work when readers send pictures, images, tip-offs and more by email or SMS. I just don’t think the gathering; analyzing and distributing news should be done by anyone with the Internet and an iPhone.

AND no I am on a Journalism Major ha-ha.

what they say no longer goes!

If you are a singer/songwriter gone are the days of laying down your tacks onto CD’s and sending them off to as many record companies or producers you can via snail mail. You hope that one of them would like your genre and think you worthy of stardom. Its was what the big guys says goes. Traditionally these record labels held the initial power to some extent as to what was to be heard. However, now its is as easy as up loading your stuff on to YouTube or to a independent site like triple J unearth to for you music to be heard by a wider audience than just the selected few you gave your cd to. I mean Justin Biber did it or if you want to think locally so did Missy Higgins. While both of these artists had the help of producers within the industry their journey to the top wouldn’t have been a quick without the use of the Internet.  I would like to think that we as consumers overall had definitive power who we did or didn’t like and to their success like Christina Aguilera's new album. However, I do agree with Anderson when he argues that the Internet has lead to a drastically different creative climate. The readings by Chris Anderson and Clay Shirky discusses how success is no longer through the popular demand but through specific niche markets. Its is evident within the music industry. No longer are we subjected to listen to what many use to call “mainstream” or “top of the pop” music due to the rise of such niche markets the Internet has bought us.