og198415@ohio.edu
Since the beginning of time, human beings have always been social. This means that human beings prefer to be in a community, rather than to be by themselves. Because human beings are social, they have a need to communicate. This need includes what they have seen, what they have heard, and what they have experienced.
It starts with the news.
According to the third edition of “The Elements of Journalism”, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel explain that human beings from the most isolated tribes in Africa to the most distant islands in the Pacific have always shared a similar definition of news. Their definition of news involves needing to know what is happening beyond their personal experience, which can also include gossip. This need is like a human impulse, which remains the same today.
When an individual chooses their community, something that impacts their decision is a need to know whether that community is affected by the same news as that individual, and whether that community reacts to a news in the same way as that individual do.
Having accessibility to news provides security, control, and confidence to human beings. The news informs human beings on events that are occurring around them, provides interests and/or entertainment, and assists decision making.
How is the news passed along?
Human beings have always looked for specific qualities in those who pass along the news: gathering information accurately, and retell the information in an engaging manner. Journalists do just that.
So, what is journalism?
According to the American Press Institute, journalism is not just the "activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information," but also the "product of those things". There are specific elements of journalism that distinguish it from other sources. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth, and its first loyalty is to citizens. Journalism maintains independence from subjects they cover, and present information in a way that is comprehensive and proportional.
Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel explain in their book that the primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the news they need, in order to be free and self-governing. So, at its core, journalism is dependent on the function news plays on the lives of human beings.
The American Press Institute adds that the purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need in order to make the most efficient decisions for their personal lives, their communities, and their government.
Journalism was needed in the past, and it is needed now.
Despite citizens distrusting the news, journalism is still needed. Journalists are held accountable for informing citizens with the information they need to live their lives efficiently. Journalists do their best to put citizens’ best interest above their own assumptions.
Through all the changes in our world, journalists remain needed.
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