The Effects of Journalism Bias in America
A quarter of all young adults in America are cannibals. While this statement is true, it is wildy misleading. The undoctored statistic is roughly 25% of young adults in America bite their nails. It is technically not incorrect to depict nail biters as cannibals, but this type of misleading manipulation completely changes the meaning of the data. Rephrasing polls or surveys while retaining the same data is just one of the many ways journalists use deception to mold the news into their desired bias. An increase injournalism bias has coincided with the political polarization of America, and the links between the two are frequent. With media as most Americans only way to stay educated on our nation's issues, any flaws in reporting will have proliferating effects on the millions of Americans watching. Since the dawn of media journalism, a bias has existed. Due to shifts within the networks and liberal leaning education, this bias has grown into an uncontrollable beast that contributes to the harsh political polarization of America. The creation and prosperity of a widespread journalism bias is becoming more prevalent, resulting in an extremely partisan public and without addressing the change, it will soon become a dilemma with no foreseeable method to reverse or correct the damage.
Background
The media has been used over the past 60 years by writers, producers, actors, and executives to promote their ideology and mold Americans into
My interest in journalism starts not only from my passion for reading and writing, but from my personality; I like to be aware of what's happening around me. Journalists never fail to update me, and the world, of current events: it is a constant stream of information to the public. Journalism covers a vast variety of subjects like current events and sports to the Kardashians and dogs who sing. Journalists are able to take any story and give it to the people; they allow people to see international problems and provide them with possible answers.
"These insights and abilities to construct, codify, and communicate stories stirs my interest injournalism." Or if you are wanting to reference your own "things" you could say something like, "Journalism's effects on me and my own potential to affect others through my work drives me to pursue the journalism field." This is one thing that excites me about journalism: the potential of my own work, and the knowledge I obtain suddenly available to the public.
As a child, storytelling opened a new world of imagination, this eventually sparked my interest in journalism. Listening to and observing my teacher read each line, it was magical to me. Now, reading a mixture of newspapers and articles about world events has intensified my thoughts of international events and the public domain. BBC and Daily Mail, two of my favorite news stations, are two major news broadcasters that report everyday world problems. These UK–based stations have
A journalist is someone who works in the news gathering business, such as a photographer, editor or reporter. Journalism is all around us. It dominates television and surrounds us in the vast publishing industry of popularization. Journalism influence our perspectives on issues concerning us. In other words, its undeniable that journalism has a deep impact on our lives.
There are two sides to journalism – good journalism and bad journalism.
According to K. Minogue, the journalist has the power to mould the information they receive into "propaganda" or they could just report the news with additions of both side of the story. Journalism could even cause a political uproar like uncovering theWatergate scandalthat forced...show more content...
A dishonest journalist would face charges by the court.
Being independent would mean that there is no government influence in the media.
The Singapore Press Holding (SPH), the leading newspaper publisher in Singapore, is a private holding company. However, the Singapore government has a
system of controlling every media outlet through annual licensing requirements. Several foreign news organizations have been fined in Singapore like The Economist magazine. It seems to Bill Kovach, a journalist and writer for forty years and the founding director of the Committee of Concerned Journalists and its programs that the government and journalism work hand in hand together. He states, Without journalism, without a steady, reliable flow of independent information without which the creation, care and continuation of a public opinion would not be possible – self government would disappear. Journalism and self government will rise or fall together. ( Kovach B , 2002 ) Thus, I believe that the publishers in Singapore should not a be totally independent of the government as through journalism, it would help to increase understanding between the government and the public.
Defending the principle of tight regulation of the media, at a meeting with journalists in December (2004), Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore Minister Mentor, said,
The role of journalists in Singapore is that of contributing to the nation's development and is not
Citizen journalism is the concept of average citizens playing an active role in the media. Blogging, social networks and participatory news sites have helped to contribute to the growth of citizen journalism. The idea of reporting instantly from any place at any time has grown to become a key tool in journalism today.
A blog is a regular informal entry by an individual commenting on news stories or describing an event. They can range in any topic from fashion to politics. A blogger can remove or add an entry at any time with the use of the internet. Also bloggers do not have any editing or boundaries when it comes to their pieces. Many newspapers have embraced the idea and use it as a tool to gain perspective and gather information. In...show more content...
Blogs cover more than the traditional news stories of crime and politics they go as far to cover fashion, sports, hobbies and home and gardening. This is another reason why they are so popular. Bloggers tend to reach out to a specific audience and make it easier to grasp the attention. They want to relate to people specifically because a traditional press focuses on a broader audience.
Discovered by the Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2010 there has been a significant growth in mobile blogging. Twenty five percent of bloggers are already engaged in mobile blogging and 40 percent of bloggers who use smart phones said that it changed the way they blog because it encourages them to post shorter, more spontaneous posts. Mom and women bloggers are another increasing trend in blogging today. Most of them blog about brands and gender related issues. Most people see the mom blog as a way to get advice on every day things such as family and cooking. It also is convenient because moms can stay at home and blog. Women bloggers focus on their audience by publicizing major gender related issues and advocating for equality. Igniting the interest of politicians, companies and the media to harness the buying and voting power, women and mom bloggers are more popular than ever. The changes of blogging are creating a positive medium not only for readers but for journalism as a whole. It gives a different perspective on issues and also gives all issues a
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As a vital outlet for information, journalism is one of the most crucial tools that people are afforded. However, journalism is trending in the wrong direction, as journalists feed readers low–quality stories, and completely abandon the ideals that made journalism irreplaceable. In order to regain its standing and respect within society,journalism must adhere to the SPJ Code of Ethics. If journalists continue to desert the standards that allow it to be so respected, it will eventually regress to a point where it is no longer a necessity. Neglecting these rules leads to inaccurate stories, along with bias and false information. "The Edelman Trust...has seen public confidence drop to all–time lows," (Gilmore 2). The distrust around journalism grows daily, as readers acknowledge that the way stories are written and how they are being reported is not proper or ethical. Journalists are supplied with the tools and ability to create news in an ethical way, but it is the job of these reporters to take advantage of this, and distinguish themselves from the current state of journalism. Perhaps the biggest reason journalism needs change is the fact that there is no longer a focus to report the truth, subsequently leading to inaccurate news. It has become more common for journalists and the companies they work for to push the stories that draw the largest crowd, even going so far as to distort stories to make them appear more fascinating. "Some of these platforms encourage clickbait,"
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The introduction of the internet to modern society has brought about a new age of information relation. Since there is no longer a need to wait until the next print day, news from all over the world is available at a person's fingertips within hours or even minutes of the event. With this advent of such easily accessible information, new problems for the news media have also arisen. Aside from potentially losing good economic standing because newspapers are no longer being purchased in the quantities they used to be, the credibility of the information itself is also put into question. No one would argue that credibility of news sources is unimportant, but there is a discrepancy in what takes precedence; economy and speed or getting...show more content...
This migration to more citizen journalism applies not only for writing, but for photographs as well. A photograph can show more of what is happening in a news story than the written world alone. Being able to see what is occurring can often be more valuable than simply taking the word of someone who wrote the accompanying article. Often times the first thing a person looks at when they are trying to decide if it is worth it to delve into a piece of writing is the photograph or photographs that usually appear at the top of the webpage if it is being viewed online. The danger in this is that at times, these photographs can mislead the reader into thinking that something else entirely is happening when really it was just a very skewed view from a person taking a photograph on their phone (Newton 180). Trained photojournalists have a specific skill set that allows them to be aware of what angles and settings allow for the most accurate perception of a scene. Without this being incorporated into a media source's decision to use specific shots, they could be potentially choosing ones that have the potential to grossly misrepresent the event being covered (Newton 179). True, editors should be able to pick out the most accurate portrayal because it is their job to do so, but for the sake of speed, some photographs are bound to make their way into their online publications without always making sure the representation is sound. Economically,
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In the article, 'The Professionalization of Journalism' John C. Merrill addresses the issue of whether or not journalism should become a professionalized occupation. Merrill notes that although journalism is not presently considered to be a profession, many journalists perceive themselves as being professionals. The Oxford Shorter Dictionary defines 'profession' as "Occupation which one professes to be skilled in and to follow. . . .A vocation in which professed knowledge of some branch of learning is used in its application to the affairs of others, or in the practice of an art based upon it." Merrill outlines several advantages those within a professionalized occupation benefit from including an elite image, a level of regulation and...show more content...
Also taken into account are several characteristics of professions from the book 'The Professions in America'. The book includes objective thinking, trustworthiness, high levels of expertise, requested protection, solidarity among members and entrance standards as the primary characteristics required by an occupation to be deemed a profession.
Merrill considers also several characteristics of professions outlined by Bernard Barber in 'The Professions in America'. Barber argues there are four attributes an occupation must present to be named a profession which include; high level of systematic and generalized knowledge, orientation to the community rather than to the individual, group–controlled behavior and a system of rewards. Barber argues all four attributes must be present among members in order for a group to become professionalized.
Upon considering these views on professionalization, Merrill concludes that while journalism does hold some of the essential characteristics of a profession, the occupation does not demonstrate a sufficient amount of the necessary attributes to merit professionalization.
Merrill supports his argument against the professionalization of journalism by considering the characteristics mentioned and asking whether the art of journalism effectively demonstrates these attributes. Merrill provides several reasons to support his argument
When journalism is chosen as a career, society tends to have a stereotypical image of a group of photographers chasing celebrities. If not, then an image of an anonymous person writing biased comments about current affairs, trying to manipulate the truth. However, their real work earns them every cent they deserve unlike the heartless lawyers who earns millions for defending criminals. The work of journalism, on the hand, consists of interviewing and attending events in all conditions in order to gather news and information for public interest. This is followed by further research into the background information then assessing suitability of reports and articles for public. The process is much more difficult than expected, especially with...show more content...
Some other requirements may be learnt in further education after senior high school, such as understanding laws of defamation, contempt and copyright.
To find a career in journalism, two options are provided but both require a pass in the year 12 HSC with preferably good results in English. The first option would be to study a degree at university for three years followed by a one year graduate cadetship, which is on–the–job training by professional journalists. The other alternative is undertaking a three year cadetship to gain experience and training under supervision of senior journalists. Although this is more common than study at university, there is a large competition for cadetships.
One of the reasons for competition of cadetships may be due to the income being the biggest attraction of journalism. Although most enters the career due to passion or natural talents, there is no doubt that the income would be an incentive. This is only reasonable as journalism can be seen as a risky job, especially during the research of information. If there was any danger, income would be the main compensation. As common sense, money is essential for survival and the average income of journalism is adequate. According to the Bureau of Statistics a rational amount of journalists may earn the same or more income than doctors and lawyers under different circumstances. Even though the income for journalist is appealing,
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Yellow journalism was a major issue in the late 1890s during the Spanish–American War. The purpose of yellow journalism is to use headlines and report sensational events that draws the attention of the audience in order to sell more newspapers, even if the facts used were not legitimate. Yellow journalism came to an end with the development of objectivejournalism, which reports facts that are not biased. With the rise of social media, yellow journalism and "fake news" are making a comeback and becoming a "norm" in modern society. The rise of social media is contributing to the amount of yellow journalism and fake news that is occurring, which is ultimately leading to party polarization. Yellow journalism originated in the 19th century...show more content...
Objective journalism originated in response to yellow journalism. Objective journalism is reporting facts rather than opinions and presents both sides of the partisan debate. Objective journalism became the new norm of society and ultimately eliminated most of yellow journalism. With the development of cable television and FM radio, the news began to take a more partisan role and led to the increase of party polarization, which is the further divide between Republicans and Democrats. With the rise of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, the creation of "fake news" is becoming imminent. Today, news organizations are using the tactics of yellow journalism in politics to gain the attention of the audience and provide false facts that produce a major response from the viewers. Ideas and propaganda material are able to spread faster and to a wider range of people through social media. Much of this material is "fake news" that usually discredits one of the political parties, Republicans or Democrats. With the wide spread of this negativity toward one party, the opposing party strengthens its ideals and ultimately leads to increased party polarization. The journal, Correlating Political Polarization and Spread of Misinformation, by Manoel Horta Ribeiro, claims that social media is contributing to an increase in party polarization due to the increasing
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The term "journalism" has taken on many definitions in the past two decades. It is no longer about television, print and radio content, but the digitalization of content. Today's journalists are expected to go beyond traditional journalistic practices. They need to know how to be experts in digital reporting and publishing. By providing tips on how to organize data digitally, build websites, build an audience, create video, audio and photographed content, editing and publishing this content, Briggs covers all areas of digital journalism. Briggs book, consisting of 11 chapters, is divided into three sections including basics, multimedia storytelling and editing/decision making in journalism.
UNIT 1: BASICS OF JOURNALISM
News companies started using digital technologies nearly 20 years ago. This required professionals in the industry to change their traditional practices and evolve to the new way of producing content. This change has not been immediate, but according to Briggs, online technologies allow us to gather information better, communicate better and create better journalism.
All journalists should have a basic understanding of web design including HTML, CSS and XML coding. Those who know learn how do this have control over how information is displayed and distributed on the Web. All journalists should have a blog. A blog should consist of a good headline, several links, photos and screen shots. Bloggers should also read and comment on other people's blogs in
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The arrival of new media has significantly and drastically transformed the concept of journalism. Traditional journalism promotes authenticity, reliable sourcing and valid evidence through major media companies and the use of gate–keeping. This classic process is what provides factual information to their following about current world issues which also creates a trust with their audience. Citizen journalism is a new form of journalism that allows the general public to publish online. Citizen journalists are given the opportunity to produce content that would normally only be possible for professionally educated journalists otherwise. Now, publishing news–worthy stories globally has been accessible for both classes of journalism as a result of new media. New media has fundamentally changed the production of news regarding recent and important events as well as the way we acquire it. It has permanently redefined the role of journalism by significantly improving the process of news distribution for both traditional as well as citizen journalism. Traditional journalism has benefitted from new media by utilizing social networking to remain relevant globally. Social media has become prominent in today's society as this generation significantly relies on the internet to obtain their news. Traditional journalists maintain their standards by providing reliable material, filtering specific information being displayed to the public with the process of gatekeeping to determine which
Today the term journalism is applied to prestigious publications such as The New York Times, and to television news operations such as 60 Minutes and NBC Nightly News. " First amendment rights and the democratic political environment of the united states have contributed to the uninhibited growth of the news media in public and private communication."1 the world of journalism has changed dramatically from the colonial days. When newspapers were just channels or devices of commercial and political information.
SKILLS AND/OR APTITUDES
With the new changes in technology, it has changed the nature of the journalism industry, making it vividly sophisticated and requiring awide range of skills. There are four significant...show more content...
Journalist should be ready to support, contradict, or explain the on–site reporting of a news event. Part of becoming a good journalist is learning how to research and review until your eyes begin to water. Journalist are always researching, whether it is talking on the phone with at least 2–20 people a day, or interviewing 5 people a day. Respected journalists never trust anything until they can see research, and find the answer for themselves. To be a successful journalist you must be willing to spend long hours of researching, writing, and must be innovative, creative and aggressive. Journalism is a demanding a job and very competitive many skills are necessary to be successful in this field, but with time and effort it could be accomplished.
EDUCATION
Education is the key to making it somewhere important in this world; education is something no one can take from you and is also necessary to become a journalist. To become a journalist you will definitely need a high school diploma and at least 4 years of college. Half of the editors who hire newcomers prefer journalism graduates, meanwhile the other half prefer people who have a broad and deep knowledge of various subjects. How long you stay in school depends on where you would like to work. Many reporters at the white house and other prestigious places went to school beyond the normal four years. If
Journalism and the Internet
The development of new technologies and mass media influenced dramatically modern culture. In actuality, people spend a considerable part of their life while watching television and surfing Internet. At the same time, today, mass media become more and more diverse offering the audience different products in order to attract a possibly larger amount of viewers. In such a situation, many companies operating in entertainment industry and television attempt to conduct marketing researches and develop effective marketing strategies to introduce their products to the mass audience. For this purpose, they use a variety of tools, such as questionnaires, audience measurements, ratings, face–to–face interviews and...show more content...
In addition, the Internet allows journalists to communicate with their audience. What is meant here is the fact that unlike other mass media, the Internet is truly interactive to the extent that journalists and audience can exchange ideas freely without any significant limitations. For instance, journalists can receive a feedback from the audience in a matter of minutes after the material they have prepared is published on the web. In such a way, journalists can receive the feedback from the audience and develop their professional work taking into consideration needs and wants of the audience or simply sharing their ideas with the audience attempting to persuade the audience, and so on. In other words, the Internet is becomes not just a means of bombardment of the audience with information that leads to the overwhelming impact of media on the consciousness of people. Instead, the Internet becomes the means of communication between the audience and journalists. The commercialization of modern media affects the work of journalists and the development of mass media at large. In this respect, it should be said that some specialists have a very interesting and original view on the influence of advertising and mass media on consumers and on consumers themselves. For instance, Naom Chomsky treats consumers as product. In order to understand his point of view it would be enough to study
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Taking the J1010 course offered many different perspectives of the journalism profession that I did not know beforehand. Based on the materials presented in class and in the online lessons this semester, my current career interests have changed compared to my interests at the beginning of the semester. There were many lectures in this course that were interesting to me. In particular, a lecture that stands out in my mind from taking this course is Professor Brian Kratzer's photojournalism lecture. Prior to this class, I had never considered myself taking on a job dealing with the graphic or design portion of journalism; I had always pictured myself strictly taking part in the writing aspect of the profession. Professor Kratzer's lecture inspired me to consider branching out into photojournalism classes next year, and to also imagine myself having a job focused on photojournalism. I have always known that pictures are a major part of journalism, but seeing the examples of pictures his past students had taken increased my interest on the subject. What initially draws me to photojournalism is the fact that story–telling is still attainable and just as effective through pictures. I still want to be involved with the writing process somehow in a future job, but photojournalism is now an interest area that I am strongly considering. I am also planning on minoring in art, so merging journalism and art would be helpful when seeking out a more artistic job in the field. Another
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Journalism and culture are dominant, impactful pillars of society, sharing an inextricable relationship. Yet, the extent and influence of this relationship resists absolute categorisation, given its symbiotic nature, and fluid parameters. To assert journalism exclusively or exhaustively reflects culture would be flawed, as systemic social, political, and financial factors also shape cultural definitions. Equally, to posit journalism does not impact cultural perceptions would be erroneous, due to journalism's agenda–setting role. Additionally, the pluralistic, contradictory cultural landscape dictates relationships between journalism and culture are innately elusive. Realistically, definitions of this relationship can be neither absolute, nor finite, but instead must develop alongside cultural evolutions, recognising underlying nuances. Accordingly, this essay aims to demonstrate that, while journalism does express a culture in which it resides, it does not representatively express the entire culture in which it resides. Instead, journalistic cultural expressions overwhelmingly reinforce dominant, male–centric cultures, from which journalism benefits, and to which it contributes. Thus, rather than wholly expressing cultures, journalism expresses a dominant culture, thereby undermining and underrepresenting marginalised sub–cultures, and representing narrow fragments of broader cultures.
To substantiate these claims, three overarching topics will be addressed. Firstly, Get
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