A Good Beginning

Claire Bowman

cb487521@ohio.edu

I grew up on social media.  I had my own Facebook page at the ripe age of 11.  I thought that everything I read and saw on the internet, had to be true. I thought, “It’s on the internet so it has to be true, right?”An example of what I used to believe on the internet was  WEB MD. I simply typed in the symptoms and all sorts of issues I might have appeared in front of me. I thought for sure everything on my computer is true.  But as I got older and became wiser about social media, I became more cynical.  I learned a little too much and swayed away from “everything has to be true,” to “absolutely nothing is true.” 

And now here I am in college taking a journalism class and reading The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel.  This book is quickly changing my ideas. There is so much truth that needs to be applied to any type of journalism whether it be sports, political, opinion and or commercial. 

Although this third edition was published back in 2014, I am amazed at how important the authors’ points still hold in 2021.  The book talks a lot about how one person might not agree with their boss or the truth has been mangled and many journalists had to ask themselves, “Is this the journalist I want to be? Is this the company I want to work for, that exaggerates the truth or -- even worse -- doesn't tell the whole truth and what the public needs to hear? Do I as a journalist want to stoop to the levels that the government wants?”

The first chapter of the book talks a lot about past government attempts to control journalists and even giving false information to the journalists. The book says that "Government officeholders, from the president to members of the local city council, now maintain their own direct channels to engage with the public, including offering video feeds that generate the impression many official events don't need to be 'covered' by the press because they are already 'public'."   It again is amazing that the government had so much power as stated in the book (a book that was written seven years ago) because presently, everyone has an opinion on the government and most are speaking truthfully now. After reading the Introduction, Chapter 1, and Chapter 10 of The Elements of Journalism, I think that journalists might be the only ones who know the truth. Journalists certainly have an ethical integrity, strictly from the rules and regulations that govern a journalist, and most journalists do have a good conscience. Again, prior to reading this book, I thought of the opposite.  

Picture courtesy: Screenshots from Facebook, Poynter.org

After reading the introduction and the first chapter, I am quickly realizing that the base of a great journalist starts with one important component: Truth. And after reading the tenth chapter, I am realizing how important my integrity and a good conscience will be in my career. My respect for journalists is growing and I look forward to becoming a part of that group. This book is challenging me to take a good look at myself and evaluate my own integrity. Now I ask myself, “Do I have what it takes to be a great journalist?” That's a good start!