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# Guardian launches Citizen Journalism platform: Guardian Witness
- URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2013/04/guardian-witness-citizen-journalism/
- Published: 2013-04-16T10:19:36.000Z
- Updated: 2015-04-08T15:54:38.000Z
- Author: Adam Tinworth
- Tags: citizen journalism, joanna geary, networked journalism, The Guardian

![Guardian Witness](https://i1.wp.com/www.onemanandhisblog.com/content/images/2013/04/guardian-witness.jpg?resize=670%2C503)

[Joanna Geary](http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/insideguardian/2013/apr/16/introducing-guardianwitness-platform-content-youve-created?CMP=twt%5Fgu&ref=onemanandhisblog.com):

> The GuardianWitness platform, and supporting iPhone and Android apps will help us to carry on this tradition. It will allow you to tell your story – by desktop or mobile – by submitting pictures, videos and text to journalists directly from an assignment.
> 
> It also has its own site, which allows you to submit and browse news, opinions and creations submitted to those assignments.
> 
> If your submission is picked up by a journalist it could go on to be featured across the Guardian – in print and online – which means you can help set the news agenda and become part of the Guardian’s award-winning journalism.

[Guardian Witness](https://witness.guardian.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is part of their Open Journalism initiative, of course, which is itself just a branded version of the idea of networked journalism.

But it does seem to offer a method of smoothing the journey from an isolated act of citizen journalism to that act being part of an orchestrated piece of journalism conducted by a journalist. Is it needed? Aren’t people more likely to contribute via their own social presences? I suspect that this experiment will tell us one way or another.

**Update**: there’s an obligatory [“tinkly music” app demo video](http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/video/2013/apr/16/guardian-witness-promo-video?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that startups have made *de rigeur*

**Update 2**: Graham has a good point:

> Really, really not sure about this. Assignments? For ‘citizen journalists’?? [#2006again](https://twitter.com/search/%232006again?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) – [guardian.co.uk/gnm-press-offi…](http://t.co/ewTRWhSrY2?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "http://www.guardian.co.uk/gnm-press-office/guardianwitness-to-open-up-guardian-journalism-as-never-before") – via @[foodiesarah](https://twitter.com/foodiesarah?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)  
> — Graham Holliday (@noodlepie) [April 16, 2013](https://twitter.com/noodlepie/status/324095428683501568?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)

Yes, this does feel very much like a 2006/2007 “come, create user generated content on our site” effort. But there are good people that I respect involved in this effort – I’d be interested to hear from them how this differs from that…

**Update 3:** Graham has [articulated this further on his own blog](http://www.noodlepie.com/2013/04/the-guardians-citizen-journalism-boozer.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).

**Update 4:** And now we know the commercial relationship with EE at work, thanks to Joanna speaking at [Shift 2013](http://www.newsworks.org.uk/Events/Shift-2013/11155?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):

> EE coming up with one commercial assignment a month on Guardian Witness the rest editorially independent [#shift2013](https://twitter.com/search/%23shift2013?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)  
> — nicnewman (@nicnewman) [April 16, 2013](https://twitter.com/nicnewman/status/324112141525336065?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)

**Update 5:** Joanna has some interesting hints in her response:

> @[adders](https://twitter.com/adders?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) Lots more to come. BUT I think the big thing is the integration into the production and journalistic process.This isn’t a bolt on.  
> — Joanna Geary (@GuardianJoanna) [April 16, 2013](https://twitter.com/GuardianJoanna/status/324113123172827137?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)