What happened to Global News ?

What is Global/World News ?

World news or international news or even foreign coverage is the news media jargon for news from abroad, about a country or a global subject. For journalism, it is a branch that deals with news either sent by foreign correspondents or news agencies, or — more recently — information that is gathered or researched through distance communication technologies, such as telephone, satellite TV or the internet. - definitions.net

Global News has all of a sudden become unpopular, we hear major stories of whats happening overseas like war, assassinations, school shootings, etc. But we very rarely hear about the good news anymore... Why is that?

What about the dimension of social media in citizen journalism?

Since the inception of news and media outlets, they have shared the power of collecting, recording, and presenting global occurrences and issues to society. Citizen journalism has certainly increased in the twenty-first century, owing to the internet's quick and growing expansion, particularly social media. capturing, recording, and exposing global occurrences and issues to society Citizen journalism has certainly increased in the twenty-first century, owing to the internet's quick and growing expansion, particularly social media.

We are all living in the age of multimedia expansion across all channels, and journalism is reaching new heights that humanity has never seen before. Citizen journalism occurs all throughout the world and occurs more frequently than we realise. Citizen Journalism offers unaffiliated news gatherers in the community with a large scale platform via social media such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as other venues such as blogs, newsletters, and podcasts, allowing them to be heard and recognised on a worldwide scale.

The Arab Spring or Arab Uprising is maybe one of the best examples of citizen journalism.

The Arab Spring was a wave of anti-government rallies, violent opposition, and insurrection that swept over much of the Arab world in the early 2010s.

It arose as a result of the Tunisian Revolution in response to corruption, exploitation, harsh repression, and budgetary stagnation.

Camera phones and social media were used by young people to connect, communicate, and mobilise protestors, exposing facts that would not otherwise be revealed by government-owned and controlled media. It should be highlighted that Wolfsled, Segev, and Sheafer (2013) conclude that before considering the role of citizen journalism and social media, we must first evaluate the political backdrop.

However, in this situation, the Arab Spring would not have occurred as it did if it had not been for citizen journalism. Misinformation from pro-government elements 'attempted to muddy the water' in this case. Owais (2011) reported that many Egyptians utilise television as their primary source of information because over 40% of the population is illiterate and cannot access the internet or newspapers, making it relatively easy to persuade them that the news is trustworthy and reporting facts.

Furthermore, I believe citizen journalism is still beneficial to society, despite the fact that it is incredibly biassed and frequently misinterprets information. Having an online public sphere in which people can freely and transparently document, report, and consult the problems facing our society ultimately mitigates its negatives, as it encourages users to always explore various sides to the story and search for the right answers.

Bibliography:

Unknown author. (unknown). World News. [Online]. Definitions. Available at: https://www.definitions.net/definition/world+news [Accessed 22 August 2022].

Owais, R. 2011, ‘Arab Media during the Arab Spring in Egypt and Tunisia: Time for Change’, Middle East Media Educator, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 9-13.

Smidi, A & Shahin, S 2017, ‘Social Media and Social Mobilisation in the Middle East’, India Quarterly, Vol. 73, No. 2, (June 2017), pp. 196-209.

Wolfsfeld, G, Segev, E, & Sheafer T 2013, ‘Social Media and the Arab Spring: Politics Comes First’, The International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 18, No.2, pp. 115-137.