Kewartawanan Rakyat dan Peranannya dalam Pemahaman Demokrasi di Malaysia dan Afrika: Satu Perbandingan (Citizen Journalism’s Role In Understanding Democracy In Malaysia and Africa: A Comparison)

Abstract

This paper discusses diaspora and the media, in particular how a diasporic society uses citizen journalism when discussing the practice of democracy in their native country. Recent studies have revealed the significance of citizen journalism compared to mainstream and traditional media and this paper aims to consider the phenomenon by comparing African diasporic citizen journalism with that of Malaysia. Both countries have high levels of active citizen journalism which has been found to be influential. However, current statistics suggest that Malaysia has overtaken Africa in numbers of citizen journalists and output and uniquely, tends to be practiced by resident Malaysians. This paper suggests that a more in-depth study of the practice in Malaysia could lead to the development of a positive citizen journalism culture.