Stuart Allan 
Citizen Witnessing 
Revisioning Journalism in Times of Crisis

What role can the ordinary citizen perform in news reporting?
This question goes to the heart of current debates about citizen
journalism, one of the most challenging issues confronting the news
media today.

In this timely and provocative book, Stuart Allan introduces the
key concept of ‘citizen witnessing’ in order to rethink
familiar assumptions underlying traditional distinctions between
the ‘amateur’ and the ‘professional’
journalist. Particular attention is focused on the spontaneous
actions of ordinary people – caught-up in crisis events
transpiring around them – who feel compelled to participate
in the making of news. In bearing witness to what they see, they
engage in unique forms of journalistic activity, generating
firsthand reportage – eyewitness accounts, video footage,
digital photographs, Tweets, blog posts – frequently making a
vital contribution to news coverage.

Drawing on a wide range of examples to illustrate his argument,
Allan considers citizen witnessing as a public service, showing how
it can help to reinvigorate journalism’s responsibilities
within democratic cultures. This book is required reading for all
students of journalism, digital media and society.

Table of Content

Acknowledgements page vi

1 ‘Accidental Journalism’ 1

2 The Journalist as Professional Observer 26

3 Bearing Witness, Making News 56

4 Witnessing Crises in a Digital Era 92

5 News, Civic Protest and Social Networking 120

6 Wiki Leaks: Citizen as Journalist, Journalist as Citizen 152

7 ‘The Global Village of Images’ 174

Notes 207

References 220

Index 246

About the author

Stuart Allan is professor of journalism at Bournemouth University. His previous books include: Matheson, D. & Allan, S., Digital War Reporting and Allan, S. & Thorsen E. (eds.), Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives.