Citizen Journalism is a new found tool for Indians

India is a 'vast' country. The population is big. The physical landscape massive. The languages diverse and people form a cultural mosaic of difference.

Problems are equally in abundance. Poverty and hunger, illiteracy and joblessnes, malpractices in governance and the powerlessness of citizens, they are major impediments for decent livelihood in this country.

Till a few years back, the power of the citizens as individuals got reflected only during political elections. And then they became homogenous amorphous lumps or 'masses'. Read any newspaper and you know what I mean. Media in India is mainstream and hence one of the key determinants of 'news' remains 'something that interests a large number of people.' I often wondered while teaching this news characteristics to my students if the mass media like newspapers, television, radio can ever become the voice of the people. My observations of the mass media confirm that a lot of people get left out in the process as most of the time they do not confirm to the conventional definition of news.

I worked with both the government and private television news channels and have consciously observed the patterns in the news industry. Here I wish to admit that mass media has a purpose but that is not a solution for the information need of all. There is a need for altenate voice and space and an alternate defintion of news.

Thanks to blogs, just about anyone can become a publisher and hence this dependency on big corporate organisations for jobs and permissions to publish is reduced.

Citizen Journalism is new to India and professionals are still grappling with its theoretical and practical framework. But if it is anything 'for, by and of' the people', then it is sure to bring about a sea change if not a revolution in the Indian mediascape.

There are quite a few initiatives that are being experimented to listen to citizens and talk to them about them so that it helps them better their lives. I have also undertaken one such initiatives, 'MYOWN' to train women panchayat leaders in Bihar, one of the most backward states of India to talk about their issues and assist them in publishing a video blog so that their concerns are highlighted.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-WOWBg5QibKMQqwhQH3DS7vqu0ZE4kw--;_ylt=AsaWd5iC8tOBhblm3VZz6.G0AOJ3?cq=1

This project is experimental and as of now self-funded. The project is of tremendous importance and holds promises for the citizens, the people of Bihar who live in villages.