Readings- Chapter 1 & 2 (Journalism Theory & Practice- Tapsall, Varley)
What is a Journalist?
My first response to this question was fairly simple. A journalist is someone who receives/gathers/collects news and reports/presents it back to the public in an objective manner to serve the public interests. I then thought about the qualities I believe a journalist needed. These are good writing skills, to be a good listener and communicator, knowledge of technology and how to use it, good time management skills, an interest in the world and the way it works, good general knowledge, motivation and an outgoing personality. After reading the text I realised that while these things are essential, the answer is much deeper. Other terms that I had not previously associated with journalists, such as responsible, accountable, truthful and ethical began to emerge. These are significant characteristics that all journalists should have.
The text highlighted for me that the modern journalist is likely to be despised by the public. This is because many believe that journalists work unethically or simply because the public have a lack of understanding of the profession, its practitioners and its function. I can understand the doubt that the pubic have, after all a journalist is a filter for information. They are what stand between people who want to know information and the actual sources of information.
I really liked the MEAA (1999) definition in the text book (p.5) of a journalist – “...they convey information, ideas and opinions. They search, disclose, record, question, entertain, comment and remember. They inform citizens and animate democracy. They give a practical form to freedom of expression. They scrutinise power, but also exercise it, and should be responsible and accountable.”
It is important here though to assess whether this is accurate or it is simply what a journalist should be or do.
I personally believe a journalist should be objective, truthful, accurate and fair. Journalists should be responsible to the public. They should strive for accuracy and want the public to know that they are a credible source for news and information. However the more I learn about the industry, the more I realise it isn’t always possible to be these things. Editors and media owners can set agendas and provide ‘guidelines’ for the way they want the media outlet run. Ultimately, I believe that ethical issues rest with those who employ journalists. Few journalists can choose what story/news they want to write about or even take their own preferred angles. Just as an example in the text points out (p.8), journalists can rarely say ‘no’.
To highlight this further, Jervis (1987) on page 23 of our reading puts it like this:
“News is what someone, somewhere, wants concealed. Everything else is advertising.”
I’d like to get some discussion happening about the use of ‘agenda setting’? How do you guys as future journalists feel about news only being what your employer wants revealed?
Unfortunately I missed out on our first week of presentations (week 3) due to a car accident but I’ve had a read through class member’s blogs to get an idea of what was discussed.
Reading through Mitchell Meek’s blog, I found it interesting that there was discussion concerning print journalists being more respected than those who use journalism for online purposes. I have tried to understand the reasoning behind such an idea but from what this course has taught me, in the case of online newspapers, it is the same journalists, the only difference I see is that on the internet there is more room to expand on a story. If people still want quality news and information they need to stick to trusted sights (eg. The Sydney Morning Herald Online) where the editors are still dedicated to fulfilling the role of traditional journalism.
I also liked Mitchell’s discussion about technology and the impact it may have on traditional journalism forms – mainly the Newspaper. I agree with him in that the increasing use of the internet isn’t a bad thing. Changing the face of contemporary media is what is needed to keep up with today’s culture but I do believe newspapers will eventually die out due to advertising moving online and the lack of circulation in Australia. I have thought about this from a range of perspectives and still can’t imagine the impact that might have on society. I mean would it really matter if newspapers became a thing of the past? People are still going to be able to get news from other sources (radio, television, and internet).
From the debates I have heard in regards to newspapers so far are that you can refer back to newspapers, the stories are going to have more depth as there isn’t a 30sec time frame (radio and tevevision) and you get a broad range of stories where as online you only get what you search for. Some positives for online news are that it is instant and free to access and you can choose what you want to read. Of course there are a lot more pro’s and con’s that would take hours to discuss so I’m going to rap it up.
I found some really interesting links about the role of journalism:
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd14/lc/presentation/sullivan.pdf
http://www.robertniles.com/journalism/
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The comment by the Herald journalist comes from an old idea that the best training is done on the job and in newspapers. This is because the cadet does all the boring work to do with accuracy such as the shipping news, and tide information before they go out on rounds such as courts, education, police conferences etc. Much of this training does not happen in metropolitan television markets and many young reporters rely on the older producer journalists for that information.
The adversarial relationship between newspapers and television comes from the idea that television was conceived as an entertainment medium not an information provider. Newspapers argue their role has been steeped in the idea of news. It is a highly romantic notion as the earliest newspapers were pamphlets reporting public meetings, and often from one point of view.
ChristinaK
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