Now You Know, and Knowing is Half the Battle, Citizen Joe!

Technology in the 21st century has changed the ways in which Americans live. The I pod has changed the way Americans listen to music, advanced video game systems have changed the way people get their entertainment, and now the internet, and more specifically citizen journalism websites, have changed the news industry.

One citizen journalism site, which has changed the news industry by changing the news perspective is a website called citizenjoe.org. This website is completely devoted to delivering national political news to as many Americans as possible. The major way it is reshaping the news perspective is by bringing back a sense of social responsibility to the news. This website's purpose is to create a forum in which every American can participate in politics or become informed about politics. It is not concerned with bringing a political agenda to the news, and it is the most objective news website on the internet. A group of editors monitor articles and make sure that Citizen Joe represents each political party equally in terms of coverage. There is even a section on the website that rates the editor's political views so a person can see where the editor stands on political issues.

The website's content matches perfectly with the goal which Citizen Joe states it keeps. There goal is not to appeal to Americans' emotions, but to simply bring them the news. Certainly even Citizen Joe is constrained by some news-framing influences. They have limited resources that force them into deciding what to place on their website, and they have a geographic focus, which places all the emphasis on national government, instead of state government. Citizen Joe may also have to turn to a marketing approach, especially if they cannot receive enough donations since they are a non-profit organization. However, even with some of these concerns, Citizen Joe is carrying on their social responsibility of bringing the news to the people. By keeping with this responsibility, they have become the preeminent communication medium that presents news as a reflection of reality, not a construction by journalists. Now if only our politicians' ideas to help this country would become a reflection of reality!