Smartphones and social platforms have put publishing tools in millions of hands. Citizen journalism is the practice of non-professionals gathering, reporting, and sharing news, often from the scene of events they witness firsthand.

Eyewitness video, local blogs, and social-media threads have broken stories that traditional outlets later verified and amplified. The strength lies in proximity and speed; the weakness lies in uneven verification, context, and ethical training. Professional newsrooms now routinely monitor and corroborate citizen material.

Some citizen journalists develop lasting audiences and adopt professional standards; others remain occasional contributors. The phenomenon has expanded the volume of available information while raising new questions about accuracy, safety, and the boundary between activism and reporting.

• News reporting by non-professional members of the public
• Enabled by digital tools and social platforms
• Strong on immediacy, variable on verification
• Often amplified after professional corroboration