A sociological analysis of citizen journalism

The study of citizen journalism from a sociological perspective is a new and evolving area of research. Accordingly, with such a wide scope for research to be conducted, this thesis has opted to approach the study of citizen journalism from a social constructionist position; viewing those members of the public that choose to engage in the creation of news as active participants in the construction of news today. By focusing on the impact of citizen journalism on the nature of agenda-setting and claims-making, this thesis seeks to add to existing viewpoints of the construction of news by considering the impact of citizen journalism on these traditional processes. In order to address citizen journalism, a case study of terrorism has been selected for analytical purposes; the 7th July 2005 London bombings. Using qualitative media analysis, this thesis- assesses two distinct types of citizen journalism; those acts of public led journalism that involve citizen journalists relying on the news media for publication in acts of dependent citizen journalism, and alternatively acts of citizen journalism that involve citizen journalists' employing their own digital tools for the self-publication of news. By assessing citizen journalism in relation to terrorism, in addition to adding to our understanding of the social construction of news, this thesis has also been able to contribute to existing academic approaches to understanding the relationship between the media and terrorism. This thesis aims to highlight the importance of a "sociology of the news" that recognises the involvement of the public in the production and distribution of information.