tc368313@ohio.edu
Everything has a beginning. Living creatures, inventions, even the simplest of ideas originate from somewhere. Most times it is hard to focus in on where this beginning is. Some beginnings are more controversial than others, as is the case for the creation of the universe. Journalism, in its simplest form, was not first introduced through print. Originally, the first signs of news reporting began in coffee houses through word of mouth.
Coffee Houses- Providing More Than Coffee
A place for philosophical and political debates, these coffee houses were not like the modern day Starbucks. Instead of drinking pumpkin spice lattes and typing term papers, the early English of the 18th century used coffee houses to discuss current issues that arose in town. Similar to now, the coffee houses were viewed as the original source of gossip.
Once colonial America was established, people like Benjamin Franklin used the information gained in coffee houses to inform people of upcoming events in the form of print.
 |
| Photo via Economist.com |
Let's jump forward to the time of World War II in Europe. The Third Reich and Adolf Hitler have taken control of the press in Germany. They begin using the press to enforce propaganda on the citizens in an attempt to prove that Germany was the best. The Propaganda Ministry monitored content that was released, making sure that it followed certain mandates.
People protested the propaganda, especially those against the war. A secret underground press was formed; people began carrying their own video cameras around to record and later report what was happening in the streets of Germany and surrounding countries, such as Poland. Public opinion began to rise thanks to this new form of individual journalism. It helped take back the language corruptly used by the government through propaganda.
 |
| Photo via flickr.com |
As it was seen back in World War II, journalism isn't something that is done only by professionals. In fact, younger generations are turning towards citizen journalism as there source of current events.
If it is so easy to obtain information for free on the Internet from a search engine like Google, why use journalism to report the news? If it is so simple for a fifteen year old to share a video of something online and report what happened, then why am I working so hard to earn a degree in journalism? And, if all the tools are accessible to me, what is stopping me from becoming a reporter now?
With the rise of technology, it is rather easy to just whip
out a phone and record something that seems newsworthy, such as a fight at
the local high school or a man saving a little girl from a train. Just as easy
as it is to record this with a small cellular device, it is easy to post it
online and then spread the video through social media.
Recent polls have found that more people are turning to sources like Facebook and YouTube to discover what is going on nationally and globally. They are turning off their televisions and updating their Twitter feed every two seconds to see if anything has changed within the community.
 |
| Photo via MotionCreativeFilms |
What Does It All Mean?
I feel that news information is evolving into a statement of opinion rather than a statement of facts. Everyone has their own view of the world and has their own
set of values they follow. These values determine what news they focus on the
most. If someone is passive, they lean more towards political debates or
controversy in court. If more aggressive someone will like learning about news that involves
violent attacks and global events that tend to be traumatic. People will use their set values to report what they think is necessary to know.
The course of journalism is still unknown. Humans will forever be curious to what is happening in the world around them. Citizen journalism is on the rise; the playing field is leveled among media personalities and regular citizens. Everyone has the ability to be a reporter, all they have to do is capture it on camera.
No comments:
Post a Comment