Handbook for Citizen Journalists

The call for ONE MILLION citizen journalists and the skills to make them successful

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Join the movement!
You can be a citizen journalist
and change the way
people get their news.

Now available:

Handbook for
Citizen Journalists
The call for ONE MILLION citizen journalists
and the skills to make them successful!

In this book, you will discover how YOU CAN-

Be a part of the world-changing force of citizen journalism.
Use the latest technology to inform audiences.
Supplement the news coverage in your area and MAYBE EVEN GET PAID!

In this book, you will learn-

How user-generated media is happening around the world without any organized structure, headquarters or inspirational luminary.
How citizen journalists function within both friendly and unfriendly environments.
Why you should pay attention to this increasingly important and rapidly growing worldwide movement.

This 210-page e-book was written for
aspiring and active citizen journalists, civic-minded people, business owners, public servants, volunteers, moms and dads, YOU!

If you are an aspiring citizen journalist – this book is for you!

You will be surprised how citizen journalists make a difference in their communities. Then you will see how you too can make an impact.
You will be inspired to persevere, even if you get discouraged.
It will teach you the basics of journalism
You will learn basic journalism skills that will earn you greater respect and make you a better writer.
As your skills increase, you will have more and more readers.
You will answer SIX QUESTIONS to determine if you have what it takes to be a citizen journalist.

If you are an active citizen journalist – this book is for you!

You are proud of what you have accomplished thus far, but you want to make an even greater impression. With this handbook, you will learn:

How to get your news articles read or viewed by more people.
How to enhance your visibility within your own community.
The similarities and differences between citizen journalists and professional journalists.
The three categories of citizen journalists and which category you are in.
About the challenges citizen journalists face and how to meet them.

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CLICK "ADD TO CART" TO BUY THE E-BOOK!

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If you are a professional journalist – this book is for you!

Citizen journalism is changing the way the news is reported and disseminated. You need to know and understand what is happening.
Find out how citizen journalism can help save newspapers and local broadcast outlets.
You will come to appreciate how citizen journalists are your friends and not your competitors.
You will read about brave citizen journalists who are functioning undercover in dangerous situations where the traditional media cannot operate.

This book is for YOU if:

You are a parent of a child who plays Pee Wee football or any other sport not covered by the local media.
You are a member of a club, church or non-profit who wants to spread the word about your group's good deeds.
You are an entrepreneur who wants to educate people about a product or service that solves a problem or meets a need.
You are a government employee who wants to inform citizens about programs, services and accomplishments.

WHY THIS BOOK IS IMPORTANT Handbook for Citizen Journalists

The traditional media is undergoing
a dramatic change

     Newspapers are losing readers. From the Washington Post: U.S. “Newspaper circulation has hit its lowest level in seven decades…”

     Many are closing and some have already closed. See the current statistics at www.NewspaperDeathWatch.com

     In July 2009, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather spoke about the

decline in journalism in an appearance at the reenwald Pavilion as part of the Aspen Institute's McCloskey Speaker Series. Rather said “traditional journalism is under siege” and called for media reform to become an “immediate national priority.”
“A democracy and free people cannot thrive without a fiercely independent press,” he said. The decline of newspaper jobs — at least 10,000 have been eliminated in the last 18 months— demonstrates the need for new media business models to “save the craft of journalism,” Rather said. “The newspaper business is in a free fall.”

Citizen journalism is poised to pick up the slack
left by the diminishing traditional media.

Citizens from small communities to large metropolitan areas are fully capable of discovering, researching and writing news about what is happening in their communities

It is already happening in thousands of communities around the world with literally tens of thousands of citizen journalists working for little more than the privilege of being a voice for their town, a passion for news and a sincere interest in keeping their communities informed.

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This book published in January 2010, was written by

the founders of the National Association of Citizen Journalists, Ron Ross and Susan Carson Cormier. In this book they call for ONE MILLION citizen journalists to step forward and volunteer to cover news events in their community. Sports reporters, city hall reporters, business and industry reporters, political reporters, law enforcement reporters, reporters of all kinds are needed NOW.

The authors believe that CITIZEN JOURNALISTS,
with the proper training, can be as effective as professional journalists.

CLICK "ADD TO CART" TO BUY THE E-BOOK!

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HANDBOOK FOR CITIZEN JOURNALISTS
has eight powerful chapters in Part 2
Skills You Need to be a Successful Citizen Journalist

Journalism 101 – Defining the News and How to Write It
How to Write Feature Articles
How to Write About Sports
How to Conduct an Interview
How to Generate Story Ideas
How to Edit Yourself
The Importance of Sourcing
How to Avoid Libel

Part 2 was written by Susan Carson Cormier, an experienced and well-trained journalist.

When finished with this book, you will have received university-level training. Then it will be time to hit the streets and find the news your neighbors need to know!

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CORE VALUES

One of the biggest challenges facing traditional journalism is its perceived bias and a variety of well-known media scandals involving plagiarism, made-up stories and doctored or false documents used to back up a story.

Authors Ross and Cormier are calling journalism back to its roots of objectivity and truth. Included in this book are 15 core values presented to citizen journalists as a benchmark for proper behavior and honest, reliable reporting.

Every reporter – citizen or professional – needs to read and re-read this important chapter.

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---------- BONUS CHAPTER ----------

31 Ways You Can Write, Produce and Distribute News About Your Community

With today's technology, there are many ways citizen journalists can report the news. This chapter is designed to excite and empower you to become a citizen journalist. It's packed with practical and already-in-place ways citizen journalists around the world are changing the way the news is reported and delivered!

Written by Ron Ross, one of the foremost authorities on the citizen journalist movement and co-founder of the National Association of Citizen Journalists.