Community newspapers in Zimbabwe and the phenomenon of the citizen journalist-cum-professional journalist: Rethinking a concept

Abstract

This article interrogates the phenomenon of citizen journalism in Zimbabwean community newspapers’ production processes. It questions the distinction between citizen journalism and professional journalism and calls for a rethink of ‘citizen journalism’ in the Zimbabwean context. Data were gathered through participant observation and interviews with editors, proprietors, citizen journalists and professional journalists. The data were analysed thematically. The findings show that financial challenges and shortages of human resources drive community newspapers to engage citizen journalists as sources of cheap labour for newsgathering and for increasing reach, readership and to cut costs. Citizen journalists are also engaged to lure donors, helping to paint an altruistic image of a community newspaper providing space for ordinary citizens’ voices. The findings also show that the boundary between citizen and professional journalists is increasingly being eroded. This trend is a result of continuous training workshops and refresher courses on news writing and ethics, demands by some citizen journalists to be treated as professionals and acquisition of formal journalism education. The acquisition of formal journalism education enables citizen journalists to breach the boundary between citizen journalism (the out-group) and professional journalism (the in-group). This boundary erosion gives them access to some of the (material) benefits that come with belonging to the ‘in-group’ comprised of professional journalists.