Where Did You Get That Story?: An Examination of Story Sourcing Practices and Objectivity on Citizen Journalism Websites

A content analysis of 560 articles from 56 citizen journalism websites based in the United States showed more than a quarter of the stories didn’t use sources and nearly half used only one source. When sources were used, traditional media and press releases were often cited. When citizen journalists used traditional media as a source, they tended to quote directly from previously published material and then used an external hyperlink. Press releases were often quoted directly from, or published directly to, the citizen journalism sites. More than 90% of the stories did adhere to the traditional journalistic norm of objectivity since many stories were sourced from mainstream media reports and press releases. Stories reported most often included event, political, and business stories.