Do�s and Dont�s in Citizen Journalism

In this digital age, it is easier for a person to express and disseminate his thoughts to the public. In addition to the free features provided by various social media platforms (blogs, microblogs, etc.), the mainstream media also provide a forum for ordinary citizen (non-journalists) to publish their thoughts. As done by Kompas Cyber Media with Kompasiana and detik.com with Pasangmata. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Democracy Index of Indonesia ranks 68th out of 167 countries assessed. Of course freedom of expression is one of the assessment barometers. The effort to open space to voice opinion is a positive action that must be improved. But on the other hand, there should be an effort to check the accuracy and ethical standards so that the published content does not contain of hate speech or hoax which can caused fatal implication. This study focused on how the Kompasiana and Pasangmata editors filter contents uploaded by citizen journalists on their platforms. Using case study method, the researcher conducted in-depth interview to the editor of both media. The results showed each media has uniqueness. Content on Kompasiana is just a form of writing, and conversely content of Pasang Mata is photo and caption. This difference impacts on the mechanism of checking the accuracy of both platforms