Journalism as a Public Forum

"Journalists must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise" (Kovach & Rosenstiel).  

Without a public forum, the public would not be able to provide their input and opinion.  If journalists do not know what their viewers are thinking, how will they know what to write? Robert Berdahl, the chancellor of the University of California said, "Democracy is based on a fundamental compromise between the majority and the minority."  Compromise is essential in journalism, but without a public forum, journalists would be unaware of the compromise needed.  
"All the forms that journalists use every day can serve the forum-creating function by alerting the public to issues in a way that encourages judgment.  The natural curiosity of humankind means that by reporting details of scheduled events, disclosing wrongdoing, or outlining a developing trend, journalism sets people wondering.  As the public begins to reacht to these dsiclosures,t he community becomes filled the with public voice--on radio call-in shows, television talk shows, personal opinions on op-ed pages, in blogs, chat rooms, and in public opinion polling and elsewhere.  As these voices are heard by those in positions of power, they make it their business to understand the nature of the public opinion developing around the subject.  It is this process that daily re-creates in modern society the ancient forums in which the world's earliest democracies were formed" (Kovach & Rosenstiel).  This quote from the book The Elements of Journalism, is the perfect reason why journalists should provide a marketplace of ideas.  Public forums allow discussion to be evolve.  Juices in the brain start pumping, and the ideas start flowing.  There are so many media outlets available today that allow us to express our opinions.   

Click HERE for a chart that well describes the process of journalism as a public forum.

What purpose does the watchdog role serve in my life?

As media evolves, the watchdog role has weakened.  The meaning behind the watchdog role has become to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."  As journalists, we are responsible for making sure the public is presented with the truth.  The watchdog role has influenced my journalism by pushing me to make sure truth is being told whether it affects the afflicted or the comfortable.  The watchdog principle should push journalists to protect the citizens at large. As a college student, eating junk food is much easier than making a home cooked meal.  Click HERE for the link to a news report on ABC News about the side effects of junk food.  This news report makes the viewer believe that junk food could possibly be equivalent to drugs. When I saw this, it made me fearful of the amount of junk food I eat.  I have now been trying to cut back on the amount of unhealthy food.  Although the watchdog role may not always be 100% accurate, it's sole purpose to watch out for the public.

"The watchdog is unlike any other role. For all that it is similar to all other journalism, it requires special skills, a special temperament, a special hunger.  It also requires a serious commitment of resources, a desire to cover serious concerns, and a press independent of any interest except that of the ultimate consumer of the news.  For all the lip service paid to it, the watchdog principle, like the others outlined here, faces more challenges today than ever.  Yet, as we will see next, the expanding nature of journalism as a public forum has spawned a new wave of journalism assertion, which makes the need for a vibrant and serious watchdog journalism all the more critical.  In this new century, the press must watchdog not only government but also an expanding nonprofit world, a corporate world, and the expanding public debate that new technology is creating" (Kovach & Rosenstiel).

How do journalists accurately cover news without being neutral?

Our book states that journalists should practice objectivity but not neutrality, so that brings up the question: How?

"Journalists must maintain an independence from those they cover," as said in The Elements of Journalism (Kovach & Rosenstiel). This means that they cannot let their emotions play a role in their reporting.  They must remain detached from the specimen of their story.  If they let their emotions take over, then they become biased and produce their story from a certain side.  Journalists must be committed to truthfulness. They must be independent from class or economic status.  They must also be independent from race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. 

Elements of Journalism shows William Saphire's views on the role of loyalty in journalistic verification.  Saphire says loyalty in journalism lies within a combination of friends and colleagues, political ideology, and truth.  Journalists should not let any of these sway their story in any certain direction.  The story should rely on facts, not information clouded by judgement.  

Knowing this, my perspective on the news has changed.  I was not aware of the impact that objectivity has on journalists.  I have a harder time believing what I'm reading contains both sides to a story without influence of emotions.

Click here for an article by PBS about objectivity.