As I have reiterated in every blog assignment I have posted so far, the Internet has become a highly dependable tool for people today. Of one of the many services it offers, it has helped us look for information through our computer screen without having to shuffle through a million books or sources and has opened doors for a whole new communication era. The Internet has not only taken over early technology like the television and the telephone but is now on its way to over take newspapers and other reliable sources of news.
Citizen journalism has paved the way for citizens to contribute to journalism without professional training (Citizen Journalism, 2007). Due to the advancement of technology today, such citizens are able to capture news and distribute it globally.
Stomp a Straits Times Interactive website, is a Singapore-based online portal by Singapore Press Holdings. Through the three platforms of online, mobile and print, Stop is said to enable Singaporeans to interact and engage in current affairs of Singapore (Wikipedia, 2007).
Stomp enables Singaporeans to SMS, MMS or E-Mail with any news to be posted on the website. It also boasts features like Star Blog where viewers comment in reaction to blogs posted by bloggers, live webchats and TalkBack, which invites readers to post their views in threads ranging from technology to food.
Some of the hot topics it features range from ‘J-Pop babes walking down the street’ and freak accidents to ‘Talk of the Town’ topics like ‘noisy students at library tells other to shut up.’
Stomp enables Singaporeans to SMS, MMS or E-Mail with any news to be posted on the website. It also boasts features like Star Blog where viewers comment in reaction to blogs posted by bloggers, live webchats and TalkBack, which invites readers to post their views in threads ranging from technology to food.
Some of the hot topics it features range from ‘J-Pop babes walking down the street’ and freak accidents to ‘Talk of the Town’ topics like ‘noisy students at library tells other to shut up.’
As Gillmore (2004) states in his book ‘We The Media’, journalism is traditionally one of the least transparent industries. However, because the public demands more transparency from this field, they report on their own when journalists fail to respond in satisfying ways.
There would be two contradicting factors answering the question of whether Stomp is an ideal form of citizen journalism in Singapore.
Firstly, I feel that the content in Stomp lacks a certain kind of reality. In a country where there seems to be little or no unrest (which is a great thing), it is understood that the opportunity for exciting or controversial news is scarce. However, by posting superficial articles like mentioned above, I believe that people would still prefer the old fashioned newspaper to Stomp, to get their daily doze of trustworthy and significant news.
On the other hand, it is an interactive site and the first of its kind in Singapore. Credit should be given to the fact that the initiative was taken to jump start this new era of journalism. Stomp might carry more significance and cater to a bigger audience if it reduced on its frivolous content and concentrated on more controversial and substantial news.
On the other hand, it is an interactive site and the first of its kind in Singapore. Credit should be given to the fact that the initiative was taken to jump start this new era of journalism. Stomp might carry more significance and cater to a bigger audience if it reduced on its frivolous content and concentrated on more controversial and substantial news.
Personally, with the term citizen journalism I would expect trustworthy and significant news, content that I would not have access to in other print media due to filtering or censorship issues. However, if Freak accidents and Hoax shark attacks in Sentosa are what Singaporeans want to read, then I suppose that Stomp would be an ideal form of citizen journalism in Singapore.
References:
Citizen Journalism, (2007) Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
Stomp, (2007) Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STOMP_(online_portal)
Gillmor, D. “We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People” (July, 2004). Retrieved March 31, 2007 from
References:
Citizen Journalism, (2007) Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
Stomp, (2007) Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 31, 2007, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STOMP_(online_portal)
Gillmor, D. “We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People” (July, 2004). Retrieved March 31, 2007 from
STOMP (2006) From Singapore Press HoldingsRetrieved March 29, 2007 from
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No more DIY cartoons?
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