Citizen "Journalism"

For class this week we had to choose a citizen journalism website, find an article and critique it. I decided to look at the Toledo Talk site since my hometown is relatively close to Toledo. The article I chose to critique was called A reality show I'd like to see. I found this article interesting because I've often wondered some of the same questions. The article discusses the recent Mega Millions Lotto win of a Georgia couple who claim the money won't change them. This particular writer says watching what life is like after the big win would be interesting; I agree. I've often wondered what people are really like after they win such a thing. Most people say they won't change but they all do. I would just like to see what the process is like, where the downward spiral starts. What causes it to start?

My problem with this article is I'm not sure this is really considered journalism despite the fact that it's posted on a citizen journalism site. Because it is citizen journalism should one hold it to the same standards as professional journalism? Of course not, but there should be some standards. This article has potential, but it just doesn't go anywhere. It seems like the author brings up a great topic but just leaves it making it more of an opinion than a report. Maybe that’s what citizen journalism is; people’s opinions on what’s going on in the world around them. That doesn’t really seem like journalism though; people are not presenting facts. They’re merely stating opinions; I think it’s fantastic that people are getting more involved with what’s going on around them, but I’m not sure that what this has become should be called journalism.