Use of free labour in the media within the scope of citizen journalism: A case study of the main news bulletin on Show TV

Abstract

Citizens’ ability to interact with content and participate in its production has enabled shifts in journalism techniques. Citizens’ ability to record experiences, thanks to digital technologies and internet usage, has offered new perspectives on the news and helped place certain events on the agenda. Media organisations are now using user-generated content derived from images submitted by the public to report news that their reporters do not have access to. This research addresses the process by which media organisations exploit free labour by incorporating images captured by citizens into their broadcasts. To this end, news coverage on Show TV from May 9 to 15, 2022 and May 9 to 15, 2023 was analysed, with content analysis conducted to determine the proportion of non-professional images in the broadcasts. An in-depth interview was also conducted with the person in charge of Show TV’s WhatsApp Notification Line, which allows citizens to contribute to news production and gain insight into the operational processes of this structure. The findings that while the use of citizen-generated content varies from newscast to newscast, such images are present in every broadcast and enable the exploitation of free labour and the creation of value.

Keywords

• Citizen journalism
• user-generated content
• crowdsourcing
• prosumer
• free labour

Yurttaş gazeteciliği kapsamında medyada ücretsiz emek kullanımı: Show TV ana haber bülteni üzerine bir örnek olay incelemesi

Abstract

Vatandaşların içerikle etkileşime girebilme ve üretime katılabilme yeteneği, gazetecilik pratiklerinde değişimlere olanak sağladı. Dijital teknolojiler ve internet kullanımı sayesinde vatandaşların deneyimlerini kayıt altına alabilmesi, haberlere yeni bakış açıları kazandırmış ve bazı olayların gündeme gelmesine yardımcı olmuştur. Medya kuruluşları artık kendi muhabirlerinin erişemeyebileceği haberleri bildirmek için kullanıcı tarafından oluşturulan içeriklerden elde edilen görselleri kullanıyor. Bu araştırma, vatandaşların çektiği görsellerin yayınlarına dahil edilmesi yoluyla medya kuruluşlarının ücretsiz emekten yararlanma sürecini ele almaktadır. Bu amaçla 9-15 Mayıs 2022 ve 9-15 Mayıs 2023 tarihlerinde Show TV’de yayınlanan haberler incelenerek yayınlarda profesyonel olmayan görsellerin oranının belirlenmesi amacıyla içerik analizi yapıldı. Vatandaşların haber üretimine katkıda bulunmasına olanak sağlayan Show TV’nin WhatsApp Bildirim Hattı sorumlusu ile de bu yapının operasyonel süreçleri hakkında bilgi sahibi olmak amacıyla derinlemesine görüşme gerçekleştirildi. Bulgular, vatandaşların ürettiği içeriğin kullanımının haber programından haber programına farklılık gösterse de, bu tür görüntülerin her yayında mevcut olduğunu, ücretsiz emeğin sömürülmesine ve değer yaratılmasına olanak sağladığını ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Yurttaş gazeteciliği
• kullanıcı tarafından oluşturulan içerik
• kitle kaynak kullanımı
• üretüketici
• ücretsiz emek

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