NEW DELHI: 'Journalists are always under threat - free media is disappearing, along with democratic dissent and alternative viewpoints to those in power and in government - and therefore the time has come for Citizen Journalism - journalism of the people, by the people, for the people, according to the Srilankan non-governmental organization ICT4PEACE.

The responsibility of citizens in securing peace goes hand in hand with the privileges of citizenship - this is the fundamental basis of democracy, according to Sanjana Hattotuwa who started the NGO to involve the common citizens in the ongoing strife in the island nation.

A former graduate of Delhi University, Hattotuwa has also been the Coordinator of the Media Unit at the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) in Colombo, Sri Lanka and has written widely on topics related to media, conflict and technology for peace building.

Addressing a meet on 'The Role of Citizen Journalism in Peace-building' in Madrid over the weekend, he said this is not always possible using mainstream media - mainstream media itself is resistant to change, has its own bias, is driven by market economics (what bleeds leads) and has failed, to date, to adopt public service journalism values 

He said the responsibility of citizens in securing peace goes hand in hand with the privileges of citizenship - this is the fundamental basis of democracy. Citizens in favour of peace, justice and democracy need to expand and strengthen their voices in an hostile environment 

Referring to situations like that in Sri Lanka, he said citizens need to engage more with all media - mainstream, alternative, print, electronic, web etc. Increasing violence results in ever narrowing viewpoints and opinions in mainstream media, restrictions on civil society activities, and anxiety & fear amongst advocates of peace 

'Citizens in favour of peace, justice and democracy need to expand and strengthen their voices in an hostile environment', he added. 

Citizen journalism does not aim to, and cannot replace, mainstream media. Committed Civil Society activists and ordinary citizens can now use new ways of getting their voices heard, facilitated through the web and internet, and the increasing use of PCs and mobile phones 

Citizen journalism, also known as "participatory journalism," is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal report 'We Media: How Audiences are shaping the future of news and information'. "The intent of this participation is to provide independent, reliable, accurate, wide-ranging and relevant information that a democracy requires." 

The resulting content is not usually that which mainstream media focuses on, and explores ground conditions, issues of corruption, human rights violations, ceasefire violations, humanitarian concerns and issues related to peace and democracy through perspectives one would not have otherwise seen, heard or read. 

Since governments are accountable to citizens, the voices of the Citizen Journalists, when amplified and distributed amongst a larger constituency, fuels social and political change. Mainstream media, through public service values, can help in this effort. But citizen journalism is not public service journalism. Citizen journalism is about citizens writing on what impacts their lives, and how they perceive the world around them. No journalists mediate this communication.