Independent Journalists

Kaitlyn Marshall

km934711@ohio.edu

Journalists are constantly questioned about whether or not they are really independent of those who they work for. As journalists and strategic communicators we have an obligation to the people, that’s a given for sure, however we also can’t forget where out bread is buttered as well. Sponsored posts and sponsored content are both big problems facing the journalism industry today. Citizens are angry because now it’s so hard to find out what is sponsored and what is not. Take for example a critique’s review of a local restaurant. The review could be very insightful, however if the restaurant is the one sponsoring the column or the specific review then that will affect the job that the journalist will do. 

We have to remember that we do need money in order to keep our column or paper afloat. 

As the reader, when we read the critical review or the article we may think oh this is a great restaurant, however when you see sponsored by (blank) it takes away from the overall effectiveness of the article. The reader then has to think about how and why the journalist was covering this restaurant in the first place. Where they coerced, offered money, or influenced in any other way? It definitely has a negative affect on the information that the journalist is putting out, because now the audience is less trusting of the information being presented to them. 

However, how can we fix this? Journalists are struggling to find ways to make money in an ever changing environment where almost anyone can be a journalist and you definitely don’t need a degree to do so anymore. Journalists are doing what they can in order to make money and to keep bringing individuals the content that they want, however what happens when we get so caught up in the money with sponsored posts that we lose sight of what is really important and lose our readers because they are tired of us advertising for these big companies, or any other companies. 

This is a problem that strategic communicators deal with at all times. They have clients and always have to keep the client in mind, yet they still have similar obligations to their audiences that we as journalists do. They are supposed to tell the truth and keep audiences informed, however they find the balance between representing their client and giving the public the information they need. This is difficult for journalists, because we are supposed to be unbiased while strategic communicators are expected to be biased to those they are representing. It becomes a balancing act for journalists more and more as we look to keep making money, and also trying to give individuals the information they need. There may not be a real answer to this question of how we keep our ethics as well as make money. However we can look for ways to make sure the audience is aware of our involvement with other companies that we promote on our website, paper, television stations, etc.