Awam App Launched to promote Citizen Journalism

Awam App has been launched in Pakistan to promote citizen journalism and to allow the reporting of governance issues. This is especially applicable in pre and post-election times.

Awam will help the people in producing journalism content especially to highlight local governance problems residing in their areas. This content will be different from general mainstream media content as citizens can bring forward the governance issues they are facing.   Users of Awam App can upload content via videos and photos and then it can interface with the known social media platforms.

Now one of the interesting features of Awam app is that it is developed, keeping in mind the issue of ‘fake news’. It is ensured that citizen-generated content is credible and authentic. In the world of social media, this is a rare feature.

The test version of Awam was introduced on Saturday, December 30th, 2017. It was launched at the Marriott Hotel Islamabad. Moreover, during its launch, there was a panel discussion to highlight the necessity of citizen journalism and how it can be used to improve governance.

Many known figures having diverse professions, took part in the event.

Director of MMFD Asad Baig said, “the mainstream media space, especially the broadcast media focuses largely on the news content from urban centers owing to their limited time, resources and business interests. Urban politics remains the most covered beat getting most air-time and space. This severely restricts the ability of news content related to civic issues and governance from rural areas or smaller towns to access newsrooms. Through Awam, we hope to change that”.

Co-founder of the Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation, Rashida Dohad said that we need options for the citizens to voice their opinions, using technology.

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Furthermore, the panel discussed current social media trends and citizen journalism going on. Emphasis was given on the need for citizens to get responsible and voice their issues in a rightful manner.