Martyna Szustorowska - An introduction to the history of civic journalism: American and Polish experiences. An attempt to define

Civic journalism is not a phenomenon that arose in the age of the internet. The first examples of this kind of journalism can be found in the eighteenth century in the United States. This article constitutes an attempt to present the history of civic journalism by referring to the Polish and American press, and to the work of media theoreticians, and by highlighting the reporting of events such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters which have occurred over the last few decades. I present the actions taken in the United States and Poland that led to the creation of public access television. The creation and development of the most important websites of this genre, such as OhmyNews or Fidonet, have been significant for the development of civic journalism.Keywords: civic journalism, public television, guerrilla television, civic television, online journalism.