The Importance of Citizen Journalism in Covering Natural Disasters

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The Paulussen et al. (2007) study that I cited in a previous post briefly mentioned the failure of the Finnish media in using citizen blogs to report the catastrophic tsunami that hit southeast Asia at the end of 2004 (Paulussen et al., 2007: 141).  As Sanjana Hattotuwa (2007) argues, when it comes to natural disasters, survivors and relief workers play a critical role as citizen journalists in offering first-hand knowledge and perspectives of such events that mainstream media professionals find difficult to match (Hattotuwa, 2007).  Why not rely on these sources of valuable information – particularly when they are in an area that is inaccessible to professional camera crews?

“The web is littered with examples of how SMS (Short Message Service, often called text messages) helped in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.”  Messages such as I’m standing on the Galle road in Aluthgama and looking at 5 ton trawlers tossed onto the road.  Scary [s**t] factor into more effective relief efforts in the aftermath of disasters such as the tsunami as these messages reveal where survivors are located and the dangers – such as fallen debris – that remain, (Hattotuwa, 2007: 83).

According to Hattotuwa (2007), “the enduring lesson” of SMS is that it can be the foundation of an early warning system as well as an import alert system capable of notifying residents of communities at risk of impending danger(s).  Unlike communications infrastructure such as telephone lines and radio and television stations and towers, for instance, SMS is more resilient to complete destruction in a natural disaster.

Under these circumstances, “mobile phones quickly become mobile news services for journalists covering the recovery efforts.”  In one instance, Internews, an international media support group, worked with 180 Indonesian journalists “to establish a quick, low-cost text messaging service that enabled local radio stations to report on humanitarian relief,” in the aftermath of the massive earthquake that hit the Indonesian island of Java in May 2006.  This major disaster killed 5,000 people and left 1.6 million homeless (Hattotuwa, 2007: 83).

A final important point made by Hattotuwa (2007) regarding the significance of SMS and other forms of mobile communications in the aftermath of natural disasters, is their ability to enhance the quality and responsiveness of aid work while strengthening accountability and transparency of relief efforts by aid agencies and government officials.  “In fact, citizen journalists are increasingly playing a major role in meaningfully reporting deaths, the humanitarian fallout and hidden social costs of violent conflict, often glossed over or sensationalized by traditional media,” (Hattotuwa, 2007: 84).

In one notable example of this latter point, average citizens of Nepal banded together in using blogs to highlight the disastrous and ruthless practices of the Monarchy that contributed to gross human rights abuses and hundreds of deaths.  Their efforts helped expose the corruption within the Monarchy and restore democracy to Nepal (Hattotuwa, 2007: 84).

While Hattotuwa (2007) admits that citizen journalists are flawed and much more needs to be done in determining the standards to which they must adhere when reporting on events (particularly natural disasters that leave behind lifeless bodies strewn along beaches), there is still a strong potential as to their value in enhancing the quality of global news coverage.

Where fallen trees and power lines can prevent camera crews and professional journalists from covering the aftermath of storms, earthquakes, and tsunamis, survivors still equipped with their personal mobile communications devices can relay information pertaining to the number of victims in need of immediate medical attention, how badly their surrounding area was impacted, and what types of crews and supplies are needed in a given area to clear debris and to meet basic health and sanitation needs, to name only a few.  Essentially, citizen journalists in this role not only provide information for the mainstream media to cover worldwide, but they can also help save lives.

SOURCE:

Hattotuwa, Sanjana. “Who is Afraid of Citizen Journalists?” Communicating Disasters: An Asia Pacific Resource Book (December 2007): 81-86. URL: http://mobileactive.org/files/file_uploads/who-is-afraid-of-citizen-journalists.pdf.

Sanjana Hattotuwa also has a WordPress blog: http://sanjanah.wordpress.com/cv-contact/.