网络传播使公民成为记者变成可能，而且人们更趋主动地寻找正在发生的新闻，有时候还通过相互合作完成新闻报道。公民新闻学正是建立在这个意义上，对传统新闻传播格局产生了重大影响。

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.
公民新闻也称为公众新闻，其理念在于将新闻工作融入民主化进程。媒体不仅要将新闻报道呈现给公众，还要促进民众的融合，并促成公众讨论。

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.
公民新闻运动尝试抛弃新闻记者及其受众是政治和社会进程旁观者的想法。站在这一角度，公民新闻运动寻求将读者和社区群众视为参与者。

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.
按照公民新闻的媒体模式，媒体寻求得到更多的公众反馈，随后使用这些反馈促成公众讨论，反应出民众的关注。

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.
公民新闻有诸多变化形式，也有很多质疑。但其核心理念在于鼓励记者花更多时间与民众沟通，而不总是与政客、精英、和“政治化妆师”持同样观点。