Final answer:
Citizen journalism allows individuals to share news stories quickly and without editorial approval, offering personal and immediate perspectives on events. It diversifies the news narrative but may also lead to challenges in content accuracy and quality. Citizen reporters have covered major events, providing unique insights but also necessitating a critical approach to discerning their credibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
The advantage of citizen journalism over mainstream news media is that it shares new stories without needing editorial approval. Citizen journalists report as eyewitnesses, capturing events as they unfold and immediately sharing them on platforms like social media, blogs, and websites. With the emergence of channels like CNN's "iReport" and citizen-powered content on platforms such as LiveLeak, we witness a democratization of news narratives, enabling quicker dissemination of news. However, this rapid spread of information comes with challenges such as the potential for errors, a mix of opinion and fact, and less oversight on content quality. Citizen journalism drives narratives on topics often overlooked by mainstream media, from global human rights issues to local government politics, and gives a voice to the people directly affected by these events.
While citizen journalism has allowed for a more diverse range of stories to be told, and often challenges the cultivation theory by presenting narratives outside of mainstream channels, it can also contribute to the difficulty of distinguishing fact from opinion or false news. It's important to approach such content with a critical eye, considering that the lack of professional editorial oversight can lead to inaccuracies. Nonetheless, citizen journalism is an increasingly important part of our media landscape, covering everything from political gaffes to human rights abuses, and often provides immediate and personal perspectives on events.