My Definition of a Journalist

         What is a 
        journalist?

We were asked this question at the beginning of the semester.  As I answered this question, my answer relied on other sources.  I searched our books and the Internet for an answer.  From all that I have learned in this class, I think I am able to answer that question on my own. A journalist is not necessarily someone who works for a newspaper.  Anyone that provides the public with valuable knowledge may be considered a journalist.  Within journalism, jobs range from broadcast journalism to in-field reporting.  A journalist is someone who strives to provide knowledge to the public.  Their main goal is to get information out in society in order to help the public be able to make their own decisions.  A journalist wants the public to know what is going on in the world.  A journalist does not take bribes or favors. Journalists who change their story for the benefit of themselves or other people are not journalists. Their work is based solely on what the public needs to know, not what certain people think the public needs to know.  A journalist practices objectivity and does not show any bias in their stories.  Like said earlier, journalists should provide only information that the public needs to know. A journalist provides accurate information by checking facts and sources.  Making up fake sources or fake interviews diminishes the credibility of a reporter.  A journalist tells the truth.  The only way a journalist can gain credibility is by the truth they present in their stories.  I am just beginning to understand what it means to be a journalist.  To see other personal definitions of a journalist, click here.

objectivity

According to the dictionary, objectivity is judgement based on observable phenomena and uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices.  The true definition however is different for almost every journalist.  Every journalist should practice objectivity, but every journalist has a different opinion on how to really express objectivity.  Journalists are obligated to present information that the public needs to know.  Their number one priority is to the citizens.  For me, objectivity is telling a news story with enough information to get the point of the story across, but not allowing emotions to take control.  Without emotions playing a part in the story, it is easier to see both sides of the story and not be biased.   

"The new journalism tends to be more personal.  It prefers transparency to objectivity or self-effacing neutrality.  Across journalism programs, there is a trend toward teaching a perspectival journalism that draws conclusions, and argues for interpretations.  This challenges the previous dominance of objectivity as an ideal."  -Stephan Ward

(for his article click here)

Like Ward said, objectivity is different for every journalist.  For some, transparency is enough. For me, objectivity should be shown by providing a story with sufficient information to make the readers feel like they have obtained knowledge or useful information.  Objectivity includes refraining from letting emotions take control in a story.  Journalists should not be cold hearted when covering a story, but they need to remember their first priority is providing the public with the information they need to be self-governing.

MOTIVATIONS

    What are my motivations in becoming a journalist? This question can be answered by the first principle of journalism according to The Elements of Journalism: 

"The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing" (Kovach & Rosenstiel).

Although I am still undecided of my major, I know the importance of journalism in today's society.  A subject that is constantly taught in this class is the purpose of journalism.  From day one, we have learned that a journalist's first duty is to the citizens. Without journalists, citizens would be unaware of a great deal of news worthy events that they should know about.  After realizing this, my motivation to become a journalist is to fulfill the needs of the people in our society.  Citizens have a right to know what's going on, and its our duty as journalists to keep them informed.  

"Open journalism’s core principles are transparency, responsiveness, participation, collaboration and connection. … It’s an idea for making quality journalism a collective endeavor and transforming it from a product driven by factory processes to a service driven by audience needs.”

This quote from an article by Josh Stearns expresses the fundamentality of journalism.  Journalists should report on what citizens need to know, rather than what will sell.  Newspapers began as a hobby and later developed into a revenue product.  This drive to make money has changed the focus of news.  As a journalist, I want to provide the public with the information they need to know.  Giving the public knowledge motivates me to become the best journalists I can possibly be.  

The full article can be found by clicking HERE.

News Blown Out of Proportion

Facts may not always be facts when it comes to news.  Whether the reader trusts the reporter depends on the credibility and the reputation of the reporter and the company he or she is reporting for.  

We've all heard that the world is going to end in December, 2012. This idea came from a Mayan calendar that was discovered.  This calendar only dates to December, so naturally the rumor of the end of the world escalated.  According to the article I found, the end of the world is confirmed to occur December 21, 2012. Archeologists that have seen the hieroglyphics believe it is clearly stated that the world will end on that date.

“They knew how long the world would last and they were extremely confident about the apocalypse.  They were much more advanced they we are today,” said Professor Kahmra Malley of Rutgers.  ”I wouldn’t make any long-term plans.”

This quote is from the article, END OF THE WORLD CONFIRMED by Weekly World News.  This article can be found by clicking here.  From this quote you can see the extreme seriousness that these archeologists are expressing by saying not to make any long-term plans.  From finding the Mayan calendar that ends on December 21, 2012, these archeologists automatically assumed that it means the world is coming to an end.  Without proof that this information is true, rumors have been spread and people continue to talk about the subject.  Instead of stating the information like it is confirmed that the world will end, the journalist should have provided the information so readers would be interested instead of scared.  The journalist could have written the story about the archeologists beliefs rather than the confirmation of the end of the world.  

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.