‘A chance for me to do good, make a real difference’: how citizen journalists in India view their role in social transformation

Abstract

ABSTRACTAlternative media in the Indian sub-continent is still an under-researched and underrepresented topic especially in the area of citizen journalism. There is a dearth of qualitative literature about how citizen journalists view their work and potential for social change. Using the theories of James W. Carey’s ritual view of communication which conceives of communication as a process that enables and enacts societal transformation [Carey, J. W. 2005. “Historical Pragmatism and the Internet.” New Media & Society 7 (4): 443–455] and the Most Significant Change Technique (Davies, R., and J. Dart. 2005. “The ‘Most Significant Change’ (MSC) Technique.” A Guide to its use. 10.13140/RG.2.1.4305.3606. Available at https://www.fingo.fi/sites/default/tiedostot/most-significant-change-guide.pdf (accessed July 2018)), a form of participatory monitoring and evaluation that involves the collection of significant change stories emanating from the field level, this study looks at how reporters of the CGNet Swara, a dedicated citizen journalism site in India, define the impact of their work in bringing social justice in their communities. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with 70 participants and ethnographic field visits, this analysis seeks to contribute to the area of research focusing on the implications and effects of citizen journalism on resource-poor communities.