By: Alyssa Lanier
al634616@ohio.edu
Journalists take a risk. Every time a journalist publishes an article, his or her work can and will be critiqued by the public.
In today's society, it is very easy to write a comment on an article because of social media which can be positive or negative for the writer. A reader could boast about how great the content of the article is or completely disagree in a nonconstructive way. Social media has opened a door for the readers to communicate with the journalists.
This article states three ways social media has a positive impact for journalists, but it also states that it is easier to reach a journalist you disagree with, which can be very difficult to hear in my opinion. If a lot of people are disagreeing with an article, writing another article addressing those concerns could help gain the communities' support. I believe that a journalist must support the article they are publishing, or they should not publish it. This will help them defend their work and why they wrote it.
If a story feels morally wrong, it probably is. Journalists should step back and evaluate if they should publish the story. Remaining honest and providing the public with accurate information will help gain the trust of the citizens. The job of a journalist is to inform the people and be their voice, so by providing factual information, the community will be kept in the loop.
(Cartoon by Aaron Johnson)
The Washington Examiner interviewed 4,214 adults, and 60 percent of the adults do not have confidence in the media. I think journalists from my generation should strive to gain the trust and confidence back from the people. Journalists should provide people a sense of security, control, and confidence. False information could cause anxiety among readers. Citizens, though, need to try and learn how to judge which news is reliable. By learning to do this, confidence in the honest media will flourish. I think it is easier for citizens today to discover if a journalist is being ethical and transparent or not with the help of the internet.
Ethics and morals are unique to each journalist. When a journalist is ethical he or she is doing what he or she thinks is morally correct. Since journalism is changing, being as ethical as possible may give a journalist more credibility in the public eye. Stories will always reflect on the character of the journalist, even if they are just an assigned topic from the boss. Writing the article anyways would give the appearance that the journalist supports that topic. So if you disagree with a story, do not write it as I mentioned above.
Journalism builds unity among the community. It releases knowledge to the people and is more than gossip. Journalism informs and guides. I hope people gain confidence and understanding in the media since most journalists are trying to be helpful and honest. Kelsey Samuels, in the TedTalk below, said that what she writes helps shape people's perspectives of their communities. She discusses how she looks for every perspective of a story, not just her own truth. Searching for all of the truths could give credibility back to journalists.
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