James Weiskittel
jw571818@ohio.eduYesterday's News
Considering the opening chapter from The Elements of Journalism, by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, I was struck by how far back the proverbial roots of Journalism can be traced. From balladeering minstrels during the middle ages to the first newspapers showing up in England during the early 1600s, the idea of ‘spreading the news’ is hardly a modern concept. And yet, as someone who has paid attention to the news my entire life, I’ve always thought of it as a product of the moment. In actuality, I feel that Journalism is as much about shaping the present as it is preserving the past. If anything, ‘yesterday’s news’ provides us with an important snapshot of where society has been.
A Thing of the Past
The text also spends a great deal of time discussing the wave of consolidations that occurred in the wake of the internet age and the morphing of the term media. With the proliferation of conglomerates incentivizing profit over traditional journalism, the “new challenge” has become maintaining the purpose of Journalism (“to provide people with the information they need to be free and self governing”) during a time where said purpose has fallen out of fashion. Many dismiss the idea of ‘Journalism under fire’ as hyperbolic hysterics, but I personally remain concerned that the traditional press as I once knew it is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
10 Elements of Journalism
For evidence one only needs to look at the
ten elements of Journalism (as cited in the text’s introduction)–ten calls-to-action that have served as the guiding light for ‘good’ journalism. For instance,
Journalism’s first obligation (
to the truth) only holds water if what constitutes the truth can be agreed upon.
As we have all witnessed, the idea of a ‘personal truth’ has become more and more prevalent over the past decade, to the point where there are now multiple ‘truths’ being pedaled by media giants to a like-minded audience. It begs the question: if Journalism’s first loyalty is to its citizens, how can any one organization hope to cater to all when their potential audience remains divided in two opposing viewpoints. In fact, the fallout from our society’s political polarization mutes nearly every call-to-action on the list. Let’s take a look at a few more examples:
Discipline of Verification
“According to an anonymous source” is so commonplace in modern reporting it renders the idea of sourcing all but unnecessary. This article regarding “the scourge” of anonymous sources perfectly sums up my point.
Provide a Forum for Public Criticism and Compromise
Well, at least Journalism is serving one of those. As for compromise, I fear ‘we’ (as in society at large) have a long, long way to go.
Present the News in a Way that is Comprehensive and Proportional
I nearly laughed out loud when I read this–proportionality seems like a foreign concept these days. Few would argue that there is a massive divide separating Americans into one of two categories, and to that point, news entities are incentivized to pander to one or other. Thus, what constitutes 'big' news merely depends on what channel you're watching. For further reading on this point,
this article (by the authors of the text) is an interesting read.
And Finally–Citizens Have Rights and Responsibilities...
(...When It Comes to the News)
Of all of the things I read in this first selection, this point remains etched in my mind. Perhaps it’s because, at forty-one years of age, I’ve never once considered the idea that I have a responsibility to the news. In fact, like many people, I am ashamed to admit that I rarely think about my personal responsibility outside of the context of my family. And in that admission, I acknowledge that even I bear some responsibility for the current state of journalism. Perhaps we all do, in one way or another.
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