cw699619@ohio.edu
How Journalists Serve the Public
In chapter one of the reading this week the history of journalism was a heavily discussed topic. More specifically, the history of how journalism functioned in past societies and how it still functions today. The striking observation throughout chapter one was that the core of journalism itself has not really changed at all. In the current age there can be a tendency to think social media platforms are taking away the role of the journalist. However, it is not that journalist are being removed, but that their roles are changing. With the massive influx of content that people get each day from social media platforms, they need someone who can make sense of what is true and what is false. But it is not quite as simple as giving people a list of facts, people do not just absorb news with absolute trust. Each individual has their own experiences and emotions that they bring with them, which leads into the next job of the journalist, being able to relate to their audience. After gathering accurate information, they need to be able to present their information in a way that is tactful to their audience. As much as a journalists' job is about being able to write well, it is twice as important that they be able to listen to what is happening and the people they write for. Being a journalist is more than just about a job. The journalists' purpose is a mission that comes with great responsibility.
The Role of Government in Journalism
Near the middle of the first chapter, one of the topics discussed was how government and journalism interact. Understanding how they function together is important to understanding how a society will function and if it will be able to survive. Journalism is to act for the people who are being governed and not for the government. A society that can only share news that is released by officials in power or after being approved does not have journalism in their society. Journalism is for democracies. Journalism is part of a healthy, free society. In a strong democracy the only way to suppress freedom is to suppress the press. In the early years of the U.S. colonies, one of the things the founding fathers fought for was a free press. They fought strongly for the right to speak freely because they came from a country where they knew what it was like to live with a government that controlled what could be said.
No comments:
Post a Comment