Citizen journalism and social change: analysis of collaborative initiatives in the field of investigative journalism

Abstract

The convergence of the consolidation of a new standard in the acquisition and transfer of knowledge, the transition from one demand market to another supply market, the consolidation of NICT in the production, storage and distribution of contents and the movement from information consumer to information prosumer are providing the basis for a new information ecosystem. The analysis the projects like International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, ProPublica and Journalism++ possibilities to understand how investigative journalism is conducive to the establishment of collaborative initiatives, essentially by adding three strategic circumstances: generating a content that would not be feasible without the participation of a determinate number of authors, sharing the economic costs by optimizing the level of required investment and achieving the highest levels of diffusion among the public opinion.