Alternative journalism is on the rise thanks to the internet and social media platforms. Over the years the internet and social media platforms have played a huge role in allowing the proliferation of alternative journalism in ways that were not possible in the past.
Social media outlets like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have played a huge role in modernizing and bringing immediacy to already immediate news channels by allowing people to post in real-time as things happen from anywhere as long as someone has a smartphone handy. It’s the peak of citizen journalism. Today Citizen journalism has become increasingly relevant to the point that it is being intertwined with mainstream media.
An example is Darnella Frazier a teen who filmed and posted the murder of George Floyd at the hand of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Her video footage was taken on by all mainstream media including CNN, ABC News, CBS News among others as they ran the Goerge Floyd murder story. She was also given a journalist award by Pulitzer. The Pulitzers are the most prestigious Journalism awards in the United States of America. The committee said they honored Darnella Fraizer for the courage for ‘’ courageously recording the murder of George Floyd a video that circulated all media outlets and spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens’ journalism in the quest for the truth and justice.
