Journalism can never die

Meryl Gottlieb

mg986611@ohio.edu

After reading a few chapters from Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel’s The Elements of Journalism, my desire to be a journalist has only been strengthened. I do not vividly remember every moment from my freshmen year at Ohio University, but what I do recall is the amount of times I heard a discussion about the so-called “death of journalism” — something I am sure every student studying journalism has heard. As a freshman that had never done a piece of journalism in her life, this conversation was quite off-putting. But as I’ve gained experience and know whole-heartedly that journalism is what I want to do, I realize how idiotic it is to worry about journalism dying. In chapters one and 10, Kovach and Rosenstiel provide several reasons as to why journalism can never die.

Journalism: The fourth branch of government

Courtesy of The Post

Four pages into the very first chapter of their book, Kovach and Rosenstiel state: “The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing.” A society cannot function properly if its members are not connected and are in the dark about what is happening around them. News outlets provide that connection and bring people into the light by supplying information, which can enlighten those who read it. Without informed citizens, democracy would not work. No one could accurately choose a representative if they have no positions that needed representing.

“We are the profession that has to explain why any of it matters,” said Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of Washington Week, and senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour, who spoke at Ohio University as the keynote speaker for the fifth annual Schuneman Symposium in February 2012.  “I believe it’s the questions we ask that cause the wheels of government to turn.”

And as technology changes the way journalism is performed and distributed, Kovach and Rosenstiel agree that journalists have to help the audience make sense of the endless stream of information that is now at everyone's fingertips.

Someone always has an interest in something

There will never be a point when journalists have absolutely nothing to communicate with and to society. Whether it be about the pending conflict with Syria or the latest casting of a film, there will always be something an audience desires more knowledge of.

When arguing that journalism is dying, many may point to news organizations that discuss topics many may call trivial, since there is something much more serious and influential occurring. But this is wrong. There is an audience that wants to know what Miley Cyrus did at the VMAs or what is the latest on the Paula Deen issue. While these topics may not be hard news, it does not mean that they are not news. And when bigger outlets, such as CNN, report on Cyrus's actions, it does not mean those institutions are no longer reliable or are no longer sources for good journalism. It simply shows they are catering to an audience looking for information — the "primary purpose of journalism" according to Kovach and Rosensteil.

Credibility is Crucial

Journalism will never die so long as journalists stick to their moral compass and report the truth. If the Jayson Blair’s and Stephen Glass’s dominate the journalism industry, then, yes, the field may die. If most of the world's communication outlets only told lies, then societies would crumble because truthful communication is key to a functioning society. No society would actually exist if no truthful word could be passed from one to another.

“I tell (my students) that Wikipedia is a good place to begin but not a good place to end,” Ifill said in her speech. 

Fairly quoting sources, using proper sources, being unbiased and telling the truth are the personal laws each journalist should abide by. We may all face the so-called "Springer decision" in one form or another, but it is important to know that, at the end of the day, it is your name attached to that story.

How do you want to be remembered? As someone who was a reliable source for countless individuals or as someone no one could trust?

In the very wise words of Jiminy Cricket, "Always let your conscience be your guide."