Largemouth Citizen Journalism Manual, The

This journalism manual, complied by a group of professional journalists, teaches citizen journalists the skills to write for media, especially news and opinion venues on the internet. The stated purpose is to "recapture journalism as a truly democratic practice that is thoroughly rooted in - and thus directly serves - the real lives and interests of citizens."

The manual's perspective is that citizen journalists usually write from a compelling interest rather than from the perspective of objectivity. According to the authors, the goals of citizen journalism are to write what is grounded in fact, to present news and public issues with an articulated point of view, and to achieve fairness by fully explaining the point of view while offering other perspectives.

Topics include:

• What is citizen journalism?
• What is the goal of citizen journalism?
• What's the difference between a journalist and a citizen journalist?
• Five Steps to Becoming a Citizen Journalist:
• Step #1 -- Decide what you want to write and for whom you are writing;
• Step #2 -- Start by telling a short story;
• Step #3: Explain “Why we should care;"
• Step #4: Develop your story; and
• Step #5: Write a kicker.
• The Importance of Reporting;
• Interviewing People;
• Handling Quotations;
• Basic Journalism Resources; and
• Citizen Journalism Resources.