網絡傳播使公民成為記者變成可能，而且人們更趨主動地尋找正在發生的新聞，有時候還通過相互合作完成新聞報道。公民新聞學正是建立在這個意義上，對傳統新聞傳播格局產生了重大影響。

Civic journalism (also known as public journalism) is the idea of integrating journalism into the democratic process. The media not only informs the public, but it also works towards engaging citizens and creating public debate.
公民新聞也稱為公眾新聞，其理念在于將新聞工作融入民主化進程。媒體不僅要將新聞報道呈現給公眾，還要促進民眾的融合，并促成公眾討論。

The civic journalism movement is an attempt to abandon the notion that journalists and their audiences are spectators in political and social processes. In its place, the civic journalism movement seeks to treat readers and community members as participants.
公民新聞運動嘗試拋棄新聞記者及其受眾是政治和社會進程旁觀者的想法。站在這一角度，公民新聞運動尋求將讀者和社區群眾視為參與者。

Civic journalism is a journalism model that solicits increased citizen feedback and then uses this feedback to attempt to frame public debate in ways that are reflective of people’s concerns.
按照公民新聞的媒體模式，媒體尋求得到更多的公眾反饋，隨后使用這些反饋促成公眾討論，反應出民眾的關注。

There are many variations to civic journalism and numerous critics. But the idea is to encourage reporters to spend more time talking to citizens and less time gazing through the same lens as pols, elites and spin doctors.
公民新聞有諸多變化形式，也有很多質疑。但其核心理念在于鼓勵記者花更多時間與民眾溝通，而不總是與政客、精英、和“政治化妝師”持同樣觀點。

（中國日報網英語點津 yaning）