Journalism Essay

REFERENCEAmericanHeritageDictionaryofEnglishLanguageFourthEdition.NewYork Houghton2009.

AmericanHeritageNewDictionaryofCulturalLiteracyThirdeditionNewYorkHoughtonMifflin Co.2006

GlencoeLiterature;TheReadersChoiceColumbusGlencoe/McGraw–Hill2003

Hudson,W.HAnIntroductiontotheStudyofLiterature.Harrap1963

Ousby,ICambridgeGuidetoLiteratureinEnglishCambridgeCambridgeUniversityPress1996 Hornsby,A.S.OxfordAdvancedLearnersDictionaryofCurrentEnglish.OUP2005

MASENOUNIVERSITY

FACULTY:ARTSANDSOCIALSCIENCES

DEPARTMENT:LINGUISTICS,LANGUAGESANDLITERATURE

UNITCODE:ALI805

UNITTITLE:LITERATUREANDJOURNALISM

TASK:DifferencebetweenLiteratureandshowmorecontent

ThereisnothingwrongwiththeNigerianlandorclimateorwaterorairoranythingelse. Heusesliterarytechniqueslikealliteration(simplyandsquarely),andrepetitionofthewordwrong tocreateemphasis

Clarkesaysthatliteratureandjournalismhavedifferentcriteriaforthetruth.Theethicsof journalismindicatethatthemaindistinctionbetweenliteratureandjournalismisbasedonthe contents.Journalistsmustpresentfacts–whethertheyareusingthegenreofnarrativejournalismor anyotherjournalisticgenre.Journalistsarerequiredtoresearchtheirstories(Hvid,2000).

JournalismmustbetruewhereaswritersofliteratureareallowedtolieWhatthejournalistwrites mustbetrueinthesensethatitcanbedocumentedbyreferencetoanamedsourceoractual circumstances.ForinstancewhatBarrackObamawroteinDreamsfromMyFatheristrueandcan bedocumented.Itisastoryabouthislife;theplacesandevenpeoplementionedinthebookare real.Fictionwritersinventandmakeupstories.Literaturedoesnothavetobetruetoanyoutside reality,HvidaddsInliterature,thesetting,characters,eventsandactionareallinthewriter's imaginationinasmuchastheymayreflectreality.Sometimesthesettingandcharacterscanbeout ofthisworld,forexampleinstoriesoffantasythatinvolvesthementionofthesupernaturalaswell asinsciencefictionJournalistsmustresearchtheir

Everydayjournalistsfacethestereotypeofbeingruthless,untrustworthy,anddownrightwrong. However,whatpeopledon'trealizeisthatinthebeginningthiswasnotthecaseandevenintoday's societyjournalistsaremakingasolidefforttofightthatstereotypethatsomanybadjournalistshave left.Oneofthewaysthatjournalistsaretryingtofightbackisthroughinstitutingthenineelements ofjournalism:journalism'sfirstobligationistothetruth,itsfirstloyaltyistocitizens,itsessenceis adisciplineofverification,itspractitionersmustmaintainanindependencefromthosetheycover,it mustserveasanindependentmonitorofpower,itmustprovideaforumforpubliccriticismand compromise,itsmustshowmorecontent

Intheauthor'snoteSuskindgivesusinsightintohowhecollecthisinformationandtheprocessin whichhewentthroughtoputitalltogether.Suskindleaveshimselfopenforquestionsandshares thedetailsofhisjourneywithCedric.Noreporterintheirrightmindwouldbethisopenifthey wereattemptingtohidebehindafalsetruth.

Journalism'sfirstloyaltyistocitizens.KovachandRosensteilgiveaperfectexplanationofwhat beingloyaltothepublicmeans.."..thatthecoverageisnotself–interestedorslantedforfriends."In orderforjournalismtoserveitspurposeitmustbeunbiased.Beinganunbiasedreportermeans lookingatthesituationfromallanglesandthenintegratingthoseanglesinthestorytogivethe audiencea3DlookatthestoryAsjournalistswemustfightagainsteliminatinganyanglethat wouldaffectthestoryinanyway.Suskinddidanamazingjobofshowingallsidesofthestory.We gettoCedricthroughtheeyesofthosethatlovehimandthosethatdon't,thosethatwanthimto succeedandthosethatlongforhimtofailSuskindgoesaboveandbeyondthatmostoftheseare notmereglimpsesbutin–depthaccountswithnosugarcoating.

Theessenceofjournalismisadisciplineofverification.KovachandRosensteilstatethat verificationiswhatseparatesjournalismfromentertainment,propaganda,fiction,orart.

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TheEffectsofJournalismBiasinAmerica

AquarterofallyoungadultsinAmericaarecannibals.Whilethisstatementistrue,itiswildy misleading.Theundoctoredstatisticisroughly25%ofyoungadultsinAmericabitetheirnails.Itis technicallynotincorrecttodepictnailbitersascannibals,butthistypeofmisleadingmanipulation completelychangesthemeaningofthedataRephrasingpollsorsurveyswhileretainingthesame dataisjustoneofthemanywaysjournalistsusedeceptiontomoldthenewsintotheirdesiredbias. AnincreaseinjournalismbiashascoincidedwiththepoliticalpolarizationofAmerica,andthelinks betweenthetwoarefrequentWithmediaasmostAmericansonlywaytostayeducatedonour nation'sissues,anyflawsinreportingwillhaveproliferatingeffectsonthemillionsofAmericans watching.Sincethedawnofmediajournalism,abiashasexisted.Duetoshiftswithinthenetworks andliberalleaningeducation,thisbiashasgrownintoanuncontrollablebeastthatcontributestothe harshpoliticalpolarizationofAmerica.Thecreationandprosperityofawidespreadjournalismbias isbecomingmoreprevalent,resultinginanextremelypartisanpublicandwithoutaddressingthe change,itwillsoonbecomeadilemmawithnoforeseeablemethodtoreverseorcorrectthedamage.

Background

Themediahasbeenusedoverthepast60yearsbywriters,producers,actors,andexecutivesto promotetheirideologyandmoldAmericansinto

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MyPassionForJournalism

WhenIwasjustayoung,inexperiencedkindergartnerIalwaysthoughtdifferentlythanthechildren aroundme.Ialwayshadathirsttodiscoverhowthingswork;IfeltitwasimperativethatIfindout newthingsaboutgovernment,science,cars,culture,religion,geopoliticsandtheworldaroundme.I wasneverafraidtoaskquestionstomywiserelders.Frankly,Iwouldhavedoneanythingtogain moreinformationandknowledge,evenifitmeantanadultscoffingmebecausethetopicsIdesired toconverseaboutweretooadvancedformyage.

AsIgotintomiddleschool,Ifoundmypassionforjournalism.Isawhowcloselymyfatherwould followthenews,specificallyissuesintheMiddleEast,thelandhehadoncelivedinandeventually fledduetowarandpoverty.Myfather'sloveofbroadcastjournalisminspiredmetowanttofollow thenewsaswell.Ienjoyedtelevisionandradionews;however,printwasmypreferredmedium. Sincewedidnothaveanewspapersubscriptionathome,Iwouldbiketomyfriend'shouseandhe wouldhandmetheDetroitFreePressafterhisfathercompletedhismorningreading.Iwasalways thrilledtoopenupthesomewhatcrumpledandoutofordernewspapertoseewhatwasgoingonin mycommunityandaroundtheglobe.OnceIbecameafreshmaninhighschool,Iwasheadstrong thatjournalismwouldbemyfuturecareerpath.Iknewitwasanindustrythatwassufferinggreatly andIknewjournalistsdidnotgetpaidwell;butitdidnot

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TheImportanceOfJournalism

Asavitaloutletforinformation,journalismisoneofthemostcrucialtoolsthatpeopleareafforded. However,journalismistrendinginthewrongdirection,asjournalistsfeedreaderslow–quality stories,andcompletelyabandontheidealsthatmadejournalismirreplaceable.Inordertoregainits standingandrespectwithinsociety,journalismmustadheretotheSPJCodeofEthics.Ifjournalists continuetodesertthestandardsthatallowittobesorespected,itwilleventuallyregresstoapoint whereitisnolongeranecessity.Neglectingtheserulesleadstoinaccuratestories,alongwithbias andfalseinformation."TheEdelmanTrust...hasseenpublicconfidencedroptoall–timelows," (Gilmore2)Thedistrustaroundjournalismgrowsdaily,asreadersacknowledgethattheway storiesarewrittenandhowtheyarebeingreportedisnotproperorethical.Journalistsaresupplied withthetoolsandabilitytocreatenewsinanethicalway,butitisthejobofthesereporterstotake advantageofthis,anddistinguishthemselvesfromthecurrentstateofjournalism.

Perhapsthebiggestreasonjournalismneedschangeisthefactthatthereisnolongerafocusto reportthetruth,subsequentlyleadingtoinaccuratenewsIthasbecomemorecommonfor journalistsandthecompaniestheyworkfortopushthestoriesthatdrawthelargestcrowd,even goingsofarastodistortstoriestomakethemappearmorefascinating."Someoftheseplatforms encourageclickbait,"

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Inacontemporarysociety,theroleofjournalismisavariedonethatcoversmanydifferentaspects ofpeople'slives.Asmoreandmoreoutletsspringuparoundtheworld,manymorestoriesareable tobecoveredbydifferentoutlets,andthismeansthatjournalismtakesonamoreandmore importantroleinacontemporarysociety.Muchofourlivescentreonpoliticalandsocial happenings,andjournalisticoutletsarethepublic'swayoffindingalltheinformationonthese eventJournalismalsoprovidesuswithawayoffindingoutwhichofthesestoriesareimportantand deserveourattention,andwhichstoriescanbeignored.Theimportantroleofjournalismcanbe wellobservedintherecentcoverageoftheTrans–PacificPartnershipAgreement(TPPA)inboth NewZealandandaroundtheworld.Thisisagroundbreakingeconomicdeal,andholdsagreatdeal ofimportanceforthe800millioncitizensofthecountriesinvolved,aswellastherestoftheworld. Withworldwidecoverageofthisdeal,itisinevitablethatdifferenttypesofreportingoccurs,and thatdifferentoutletswillprovidedifferentaccounts.Withsomanydifferentjournalismoutlets aroundtheworldandlocally,manyhavetohaveawayofstandingoutfromthecrowd.Thismeans thatsomeextremelydifferentcoverageofverysimilarstoriescanoccurHoweveritcanalsosimply bedowntodifferentownership,differingpoliticalviews,anddifferentsocio–economic environmentsTwooutletswith ...Getmorecontent...

Thearrivalofnewmediahassignificantlyanddrasticallytransformedtheconceptofjournalism.

Traditionaljournalismpromotesauthenticity,reliablesourcingandvalidevidencethroughmajor mediacompaniesandtheuseofgate–keeping.Thisclassicprocessiswhatprovidesfactual informationtotheirfollowingaboutcurrentworldissueswhichalsocreatesatrustwiththeir audienceCitizenjournalismisanewformofjournalismthatallowsthegeneralpublictopublish online.Citizenjournalistsaregiventheopportunitytoproducecontentthatwouldnormallyonlybe possibleforprofessionallyeducatedjournalistsotherwise.Now,publishingnews–worthystories globallyhasbeenaccessibleforbothclassesofjournalismasaresultofnewmediaNewmediahas fundamentallychangedtheproductionofnewsregardingrecentandimportanteventsaswellasthe wayweacquireit.Ithaspermanentlyredefinedtheroleofjournalismbysignificantlyimprovingthe processofnewsdistributionforbothtraditionalaswellascitizenjournalism.

Traditionaljournalismhasbenefittedfromnewmediabyutilizingsocialnetworkingtoremain relevantgloballySocialmediahasbecomeprominentintoday'ssocietyasthisgeneration significantlyreliesontheinternettoobtaintheirnews.Traditionaljournalistsmaintaintheir standardsbyprovidingreliablematerial,filteringspecificinformationbeingdisplayedtothepublic withtheprocessofgatekeepingtodeterminewhich ...Getmorecontent...

Whyisjournalismimportant?Withthereferencetotheliterature,criticallyassesstheroleof journalisminademocraticsociety.

Theresponsibilityoftheawkwardquestionhastobeaskedbysomeoneandthejournalististheone whocravesthisdutyTheyaretheoneswhograbthechallengewithbothhandsandseekforthe truth.Thisistheessenceofjournalismandwhyitmatterssomuchtofreesociety.It'sofferingsof informativeanswersinplainEnglishmakeitaccessibletoall.Inademocracywherepoliticians believetheirownspinandfreelyoffertheirviewpointoncurrentissuesitiscrucialforjournaliststo activelyseekinformationandknockoncloseddoorstorevealwhatisreallyhappening.However, thisappliesshowmorecontent

Journalismisalsorequiredtoscrutinisegovernmentandbigbusiness.InhisbookTheUniversal Journalist(2007)DavidRandellsaysthatgoodreportersshould:"...afflictthecomfortable"and "scrutinisetheactionandinactionofgovernments,electedrepresentativesandpublicservices"In thecaseofgovernmentitiscriticaltheyareheldtoaccountfortheiractionssothattheyare remindedofwho'sintereststheyaremeanttorepresent.Inmanycasesjournalismappliesrestraints ongovernment.Byalertingpeopletovariousamendmentsandbillsthatareplannedfordiscussion inthehousesofgovernmentpublicopinioncanbeexpressedinfavouroroppositionandlimitthe actionsofthoseinpoweraswellasdictatepolicyinmanycasesThisisoneofthereasonsthat journalismisknownastheFourthEstate.Duetothepoweritwieldsthecollectivenatureof journalistsisrankedaftertheinstitutionsofLordSpiritual(ClergymenoftheHouseofLords), LordsTemporal(LifepeersoftheHouseofLords)andCommons(MPsintheHouseofCommons) LordMacaulay,anineteenthcenturypoetandpolitician,saidonthematter:"Thegalleryinwhich reporterssithasbecomeafourthestateoftherealm."(Cole.P.2005.)

Asmanymembersofthepublicarenotpermitted,orjustdonothavethetimetositinParliament, attendcouncilmeetingsorlistentocommitteereportstheymustrelyonthemediatocommunicate thefactstothemLookingatbusinessthe

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TheImportanceOfJournalism

Journalismplaysamajorroleinaidingdemocracyandhelpingitfunction.Itcanshapethewaywe viewpoliciesorhowweviewaparticularcandidate.Unfortunately,thiscanbesometimesforgotten oroverlookedinthemidstofpartisandebate,governmentshutdownsandthenewinsurgenceof "fakenews".Ifwewereabletoputtheabsurdityoftheseissuestothesideandfocusonthereal impactoftruerawjournalism,wecanopenoureyesandmindtotheimpactnewshasonallour politicalviews.Letuslookattheimpactandeffectsthatjournalismiscurrentlyhavingonlastyear's electionandthepoliticalclimatearoundtheworld.Onecouldsaythatjournalismprovidesthe publicwithgovernmentaltransparencyandprovideschecksshowmorecontent

So,withoutthehelpofaninvestigativejournalistthiswouldhaveneverbeenknowntothepublic andwouldhavenevercausedchanceinschoolpolicies.

Thecasewasalsosimilarwhenaninvestigativereporterrevealedtheconditionsatafactoryin ChinaproducingthelovelyAppleproductsweallseemtonotbeabletofunctionwithoutorlive. Aninvestigativereportrevealedtheharsh,attimesdeadlyconditionsunderwhichChineseworkers assemblingiPhonesandiPadsliveandwork;thelowpayandhighturnoveratApple'sretailstores; thelengthstowhichApplewenttoreduceitstaxbill,andtheshortsightednessofitsconclusionthat Applescouldn'tbemanufacturedinAmerica(Duhigg)Thefindsbythisinvestigativereportcaused outrageandbacklashontheChineseandApplefromitsloyalcustomers.Thiswouldeventually causeanincreaseinwagesforfactoryworkersandbetterworkingconditionsWorkerswithinthese factoriesbegintohaverightsandwerenolongerbeingtreatedascheaplabor.,askedcompetitorsto helpcurbexcessiveovertimeinChina,andreachedouttoadvocacygroupsitoncerebuffed.It publiclyidentifieditssuppliersforthefirsttimeApplealsoannouncedafterthescandalthatit wouldinvest$100milliontomanufacturesomecomputersintheUnitedStates(Spaeth).Although the$100milliondollarinvestmentintheUSjobswasyearslater,therealwinnerwastheChinese workerswhonowwere

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TodaythetermjournalismisappliedtoprestigiouspublicationssuchasTheNewYorkTimes,and totelevisionnewsoperationssuchas60MinutesandNBCNightlyNews."Firstamendmentrights andthedemocraticpoliticalenvironmentoftheunitedstateshavecontributedtotheuninhibited growthofthenewsmediainpublicandprivatecommunication."1theworldofjournalismhas changeddramaticallyfromthecolonialdays.Whennewspaperswerejustchannelsordevicesof commercialandpoliticalinformation

SKILLSAND/ORAPTITUDES

Withthenewchangesintechnology,ithaschangedthenatureofthejournalismindustry,makingit vividlysophisticatedandrequiringawiderangeofskills.Therearefoursignificant...showmore content Journalistshouldbereadytosupport,contradict,orexplaintheon–sitereportingofanewsevent. Partofbecomingagoodjournalistislearninghowtoresearchandreviewuntilyoureyesbeginto water.Journalistarealwaysresearching,whetheritistalkingonthephonewithatleast2–20people aday,orinterviewing5peopleaday.Respectedjournalistsnevertrustanythinguntiltheycansee research,andfindtheanswerforthemselvesTobeasuccessfuljournalistyoumustbewillingto spendlonghoursofresearching,writing,andmustbeinnovative,creativeandaggressive. Journalismisademandingajobandverycompetitivemanyskillsarenecessarytobesuccessfulin thisfield,butwithtimeandeffortitcouldbeaccomplished

EDUCATION

Educationisthekeytomakingitsomewhereimportantinthisworld;educationissomethingnoone cantakefromyouandisalsonecessarytobecomeajournalist.Tobecomeajournalistyouwill definitelyneedahighschooldiplomaandatleast4yearsofcollegeHalfoftheeditorswhohire newcomerspreferjournalismgraduates,meanwhiletheotherhalfpreferpeoplewhohaveabroad anddeepknowledgeofvarioussubjects.Howlongyoustayinschooldependsonwhereyouwould liketoworkManyreportersatthewhitehouseandotherprestigiousplaceswenttoschoolbeyond thenormalfouryears.If

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InternationalJournalism

InternationalnewscoverageintheUnitedStateshasdeclineddramaticallyinthelasttwodecades, leavingtheAmericanpubliclackinginawarenessoftheworld'sdiversityandbeauty.Thisis unacceptableThepublichasaccesstomanyformsofmedia–radio,networkandcabletelevision, newspapers,magazinesandtheInternet–yetlackabasicliteracyininternationalissues.Themedia nolongerprovidescomprehensivecoverageofworldnews.However,asafar–reachingmedium, Americannewsmediahasanobligationtoeducateaswellasinformthenation'spopulations Therefore,despiteapost–ColdWarpoliticalcalm,competitivemediamarkets,andfewerforeign correspondents,newsmediumsmustforgeashowmorecontent

Likewise,networknewsslicedtheminutesofitsworldcoverageaspeoplebeganturningthe channel(SeeAppendixA).

ThereductionofinternationalstoriesinAmericannewscoincidedwithageneralchangetoward consumer–drivenjournalism.Whatbeganasbasicgoodbusiness,newssourcesstrovetogive customerswhattheywantbyputtingmoreweightinpolls.However,thisneedtopleaseforprofits hassinceovershadowedallelse.MediavenueslikeInternetnews,newsmagazines,reformed newscastsarebornbytheminute,allseekingtotapintoprofitableaudiences(Dennis,Merrill, p221)Journalisticqualityandcontenthastakenthebackseattotheshrewdlydeliveredbigboom storiesofviolence,tragedies,celebrities–storiesthatcanbepackagedwithcolorfulgraphicsand photos–storiesthatcatchreaders'eyesandgetthemtobuy.

Editors,facedwiththefactsthatreadersdon'tpurchaseorwatchinternationalstories,havecutback coveragetogiveroomformoresplashystories.EditorofMediaIndustryNewsletter,StevenCohen, compliedthefollowinglistofsomeoftheworstsellingmagazinecoversin1994:Newsweek, "Bosnia'sAnneFrank,"February28;NewYorker,YasirArafat,May16;U.S.News&World Report,NelsonMandela,May9;BusinessWeek,"China:HowMuchChange?"June9(Hohenberg, p88)Givensuchstatistics,andincreasinglycompetitivemediavenues,newssourceshave sacrificedinternational

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Whenjournalismischosenasacareer,societytendstohaveastereotypicalimageofagroupof photographerschasingcelebrities.Ifnot,thenanimageofananonymouspersonwritingbiased commentsaboutcurrentaffairs,tryingtomanipulatethetruth.However,theirrealworkearnsthem everycenttheydeserveunliketheheartlesslawyerswhoearnsmillionsfordefendingcriminals.The workofjournalism,onthehand,consistsofinterviewingandattendingeventsinallconditionsin ordertogathernewsandinformationforpublicinterest.Thisisfollowedbyfurtherresearchintothe backgroundinformationthenassessingsuitabilityofreportsandarticlesforpublic.Theprocessis muchmoredifficultthanexpected,especiallywithshowmorecontent

Someotherrequirementsmaybelearntinfurthereducationafterseniorhighschool,suchas understandinglawsofdefamation,contemptandcopyright.

Tofindacareerinjournalism,twooptionsareprovidedbutbothrequireapassintheyear12HSC withpreferablygoodresultsinEnglishThefirstoptionwouldbetostudyadegreeatuniversityfor threeyearsfollowedbyaoneyeargraduatecadetship,whichison–the–jobtrainingbyprofessional journalists.Theotheralternativeisundertakingathreeyearcadetshiptogainexperienceand trainingundersupervisionofseniorjournalists.Althoughthisismorecommonthanstudyat university,thereisalargecompetitionforcadetships.

Oneofthereasonsforcompetitionofcadetshipsmaybeduetotheincomebeingthebiggest attractionofjournalism.Althoughmostentersthecareerduetopassionornaturaltalents,thereisno doubtthattheincomewouldbeanincentiveThisisonlyreasonableasjournalismcanbeseenasa riskyjob,especiallyduringtheresearchofinformation.Iftherewasanydanger,incomewouldbe themaincompensation.Ascommonsense,moneyisessentialforsurvivalandtheaverageincome ofjournalismisadequate.AccordingtotheBureauofStatisticsarationalamountofjournalistsmay earnthesameormoreincomethandoctorsandlawyersunderdifferentcircumstances.Eventhough theincomeforjournalistisappealing,

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Theterm"journalism"hastakenonmanydefinitionsinthepasttwodecades.Itisnolongerabout television,printandradiocontent,butthedigitalizationofcontent.Today'sjournalistsareexpected togobeyondtraditionaljournalisticpractices.Theyneedtoknowhowtobeexpertsindigital reportingandpublishing.Byprovidingtipsonhowtoorganizedatadigitally,buildwebsites,build anaudience,createvideo,audioandphotographedcontent,editingandpublishingthiscontent, Briggscoversallareasofdigitaljournalism.Briggsbook,consistingof11chapters,isdividedinto threesectionsincludingbasics,multimediastorytellingandediting/decisionmakinginjournalism.

UNIT1:BASICSOFJOURNALISM

Newscompaniesstartedusingdigitaltechnologiesnearly20yearsago.Thisrequiredprofessionals intheindustrytochangetheirtraditionalpracticesandevolvetothenewwayofproducingcontent. Thischangehasnotbeenimmediate,butaccordingtoBriggs,onlinetechnologiesallowustogather informationbetter,communicatebetterandcreatebetterjournalism.

AlljournalistsshouldhaveabasicunderstandingofwebdesignincludingHTML,CSSandXML coding.Thosewhoknowlearnhowdothishavecontroloverhowinformationisdisplayedand distributedontheWeb.

Alljournalistsshouldhaveablog.Ablogshouldconsistofagoodheadline,severallinks,photos andscreenshots.Bloggersshouldalsoreadandcommentonotherpeople'sblogsin

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MyInterestInJournalism

Myinterestinjournalismstartsnotonlyfrommypassionforreadingandwriting,butfrommy personality;Iliketobeawareofwhat'shappeningaroundme.Journalistsneverfailtoupdateme, andtheworld,ofcurrentevents:itisaconstantstreamofinformationtothepublic.Journalism coversavastvarietyofsubjectslikecurrenteventsandsportstotheKardashiansanddogswho singJournalistsareabletotakeanystoryandgiveittothepeople;theyallowpeopletosee internationalproblemsandprovidethemwithpossibleanswers.

"Theseinsightsandabilitiestoconstruct,codify,andcommunicatestoriesstirsmyinterestin journalism."Orifyouarewantingtoreferenceyourown"things"youcouldsaysomethinglike, "Journalism'seffectsonmeandmyownpotentialtoaffectothersthroughmyworkdrivesmeto pursuethejournalismfield."Thisisonethingthatexcitesmeaboutjournalism:thepotentialofmy ownwork,andtheknowledgeIobtainsuddenlyavailabletothepublic.

Asachild,storytellingopenedanewworldofimagination,thiseventuallysparkedmyinterestin journalism.Listeningtoandobservingmyteacherreadeachline,itwasmagicaltome.Now, readingamixtureofnewspapersandarticlesaboutworldeventshasintensifiedmythoughtsof internationaleventsandthepublicdomain.BBCandDailyMail,twoofmyfavoritenewsstations, aretwomajornewsbroadcastersthatreporteverydayworldproblemsTheseUK–basedstations have

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Journalismandculturearedominant,impactfulpillarsofsociety,sharinganinextricable relationship.Yet,theextentandinfluenceofthisrelationshipresistsabsolutecategorisation,given itssymbioticnature,andfluidparameters.Toassertjournalismexclusivelyorexhaustivelyreflects culturewouldbeflawed,assystemicsocial,political,andfinancialfactorsalsoshapecultural definitionsEqually,topositjournalismdoesnotimpactculturalperceptionswouldbeerroneous, duetojournalism'sagenda–settingrole.Additionally,thepluralistic,contradictorycultural landscapedictatesrelationshipsbetweenjournalismandcultureareinnatelyelusive.Realistically, definitionsofthisrelationshipcanbeneitherabsolute,norfinite,butinsteadmustdevelopalongside culturalevolutions,recognisingunderlyingnuances.Accordingly,thisessayaimstodemonstrate that,whilejournalismdoesexpressacultureinwhichitresides,itdoesnotrepresentativelyexpress theentirecultureinwhichitresides.Instead,journalisticculturalexpressionsoverwhelmingly reinforcedominant,male–centriccultures,fromwhichjournalismbenefits,andtowhichit contributesThus,ratherthanwhollyexpressingcultures,journalismexpressesadominantculture, therebyunderminingandunderrepresentingmarginalisedsub–cultures,andrepresentingnarrow fragmentsofbroadercultures.

Tosubstantiatetheseclaims,threeoverarchingtopicswillbeaddressed.Firstly,

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EssayOnYellowJournalism

Yellowjournalismwasamajorissueinthelate1890sduringtheSpanish–AmericanWar.The purposeofyellowjournalismistouseheadlinesandreportsensationaleventsthatdrawsthe attentionoftheaudienceinordertosellmorenewspapers,evenifthefactsusedwerenotlegitimate. Yellowjournalismcametoanendwiththedevelopmentofobjectivejournalism,whichreportsfacts thatarenotbiasedWiththeriseofsocialmedia,yellowjournalismand"fakenews"aremakinga comebackandbecominga"norm"inmodernsociety.Theriseofsocialmediaiscontributingtothe amountofyellowjournalismandfakenewsthatisoccurring,whichisultimatelyleadingtoparty polarizationYellowjournalismoriginatedinthe19thcenturyshowmorecontent

Objectivejournalismoriginatedinresponsetoyellowjournalism.Objectivejournalismisreporting factsratherthanopinionsandpresentsbothsidesofthepartisandebate.Objectivejournalism becamethenewnormofsocietyandultimatelyeliminatedmostofyellowjournalism.Withthe developmentofcabletelevisionandFMradio,thenewsbegantotakeamorepartisanroleandled totheincreaseofpartypolarization,whichisthefurtherdividebetweenRepublicansand Democrats.Withtheriseofsocialmedia,suchasFacebookandTwitter,thecreationof"fakenews" isbecomingimminent.Today,newsorganizationsareusingthetacticsofyellowjournalismin politicstogaintheattentionoftheaudienceandprovidefalsefactsthatproduceamajorresponse fromtheviewers.Ideasandpropagandamaterialareabletospreadfasterandtoawiderrangeof peoplethroughsocialmediaMuchofthismaterialis"fakenews"thatusuallydiscreditsoneofthe politicalparties,RepublicansorDemocrats.Withthewidespreadofthisnegativitytowardone party,theopposingpartystrengthensitsidealsandultimatelyleadstoincreasedpartypolarization. Thejournal,CorrelatingPoliticalPolarizationandSpreadofMisinformation,byManoelHorta Ribeiro,claimsthatsocialmediaiscontributingtoanincreaseinpartypolarizationduetothe increasing

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Ajournalistissomeonewhoworksinthenewsgatheringbusiness,suchasa photographer,editororreporter.Journalismisallaroundus.Itdominatestelevisionand surroundsusinthevastpublishingindustryofpopularizationJournalisminfluenceour perspectivesonissuesconcerningus.Inotherwords,itsundeniablethatjournalismhas adeepimpactonourlives.

Therearetwosidestojournalism–goodjournalismandbadjournalism.

AccordingtoKMinogue,thejournalisthasthepowertomouldtheinformationtheyreceiveinto "propaganda"ortheycouldjustreportthenewswithadditionsofbothsideofthestory.Journalism couldevencauseapoliticaluproarlikeuncoveringtheWatergatescandalthatforced...showmore content

Adishonestjournalistwouldface chargesbythecourt.

Beingindependentwouldmeanthatthereisnogovernmentinfluenceinthemedia

TheSingaporePressHolding(SPH),theleadingnewspaperpublisherin Singapore,isaprivateholdingcompany.However,theSingaporegovernmenthasa systemofcontrollingeverymediaoutletthroughannuallicensingrequirements.Several foreignnewsorganizationshavebeenfinedinSingaporelikeTheEconomistmagazine ItseemstoBillKovach,ajournalistandwriterforfortyyearsandthefoundingdirectorofthe CommitteeofConcernedJournalistsanditsprogramsthatthegovernmentandjournalismwork handinhandtogether.Hestates,

Withoutjournalism,withoutasteady,reliableflowofindependentinformationwithoutwhichthe creation,careandcontinuationofapublicopinionwouldnotbepossible–selfgovernmentwould disappear.Journalismandselfgovernmentwillriseorfalltogether.(KovachB,2002)

Thus,IbelievethatthepublishersinSingaporeshouldnotabetotallyindependentofthe governmentasthroughjournalism,itwouldhelptoincreaseunderstandingbetweenthegovernment andthepublic

Defendingtheprincipleoftightregulationofthemedia,atameetingwithjournalistsinDecember (2004),LeeKuanYew,SingaporeMinisterMentor,said,

TheroleofjournalistsinSingaporeisthatofcontributingtothenation'sdevelopmentandisnot

ObjectivityinJournalism

MerriamWebsterdefinesobjectivityasexpressingordealingwithfactsorconditionsasperceived withoutdistortionbypersonalfeelings,prejudices,orinterpretations.Objectivity,asdefinedbythe schoolofmediaethics,meansstandingsofarfromthecommunitythatyouseealleventsandall viewpointsasequallydistantandimportant,orunimportantforthatmatter.Itisemployedbygiving equalweighttoallviewpoints––or,ifnot,givingallaninterestingtwist,withintaste.Theresultisa presentationoffactsinatruenon–partisanmanner,andthenstandingbackto"letthereaderdecide" whichviewistrue.

Bygoingaboutitthisway,wearedefiningobjectivitynotbythewaywegoaboutshowmore content

Iftheidealofobjectivityishardtograsp,thenperhapsbetterwordsarefair,impartial,neutralor balancedItisthelastconceptofbalancethatisinpracticeeachdayforjournalistsEachstorya journalistwritesmustpresentthefactsaccuratelyandprovideabalancedviewofbothsidesofthe issue.Forexample,ifajournalistfindsaccurateinformationaboutthemayorstealingfundsfrom thepublic,themayormustbegiventheopportunitytorespondandexplainthecircumstances.

Thenotionthatjournalistsmustmaintain"objectivity"isarelativelynewconcept.Theearly AmericanpublisherswereinvolvedinpoliticsandhelpedbringabouttheRevolutionThomasPaine isadmiredforhiswordsonfreedomforthecommonman,andinmotivatingthecoloniestorebel againsttheBritishRedcoats.ThomasPainewrote,"Thesearethetimesthattrymen'ssouls.The summersoldierandthesunshinepatriotwill,inthiscrisis,shrinkfromtheserviceofhiscountry; buthethatstandsitNOW,deservestheloveandthanksofmanandwoman."

IlovetheInternetasajournalisticplatform,butIcertainlyseethatithasasmanyflawsas traditionaljournalism.WhenIseetheconstantbarrageofattacksfrompoliticalpartisansonthe rightandtheleftaccusingjournalistsofbeingpartialtotheotherside,Ifthejournalistsaregetting attackedfrombothsides,itprobablymeans

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Citizenjournalismistheconceptofaveragecitizensplayinganactiveroleinthemedia.Blogging, socialnetworksandparticipatorynewssiteshavehelpedtocontributetothegrowthofcitizen journalism.Theideaofreportinginstantlyfromanyplaceatanytimehasgrowntobecomeakey toolinjournalismtoday.

Ablogisaregularinformalentrybyanindividualcommentingonnewsstoriesordescribingan event.Theycanrangeinanytopicfromfashiontopolitics.Abloggercanremoveoraddanentryat anytimewiththeuseoftheinternet.Alsobloggersdonothaveanyeditingorboundarieswhenit comestotheirpiecesManynewspapershaveembracedtheideaanduseitasatooltogain perspectiveandgatherinformation.

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Blogscovermorethanthetraditionalnewsstoriesofcrimeandpoliticstheygoasfartocover fashion,sports,hobbiesandhomeandgardening.Thisisanotherreasonwhytheyaresopopular. BloggerstendtoreachouttoaspecificaudienceandmakeiteasiertograsptheattentionTheywant torelatetopeoplespecificallybecauseatraditionalpressfocusesonabroaderaudience. DiscoveredbytheTechnoratiStateoftheBlogosphere2010therehasbeenasignificantgrowthin mobileblogging.Twentyfivepercentofbloggersarealreadyengagedinmobilebloggingand40 percentofbloggerswhousesmartphonessaidthatitchangedthewaytheyblogbecauseit encouragesthemtopostshorter,morespontaneousposts

Momandwomenbloggersareanotherincreasingtrendinbloggingtoday.Mostofthemblogabout brandsandgenderrelatedissues.Mostpeopleseethemomblogasawaytogetadviceoneveryday thingssuchasfamilyandcookingItalsoisconvenientbecausemomscanstayathomeandblog Womenbloggersfocusontheiraudiencebypublicizingmajorgenderrelatedissuesandadvocating forequality.Ignitingtheinterestofpoliticians,companiesandthemediatoharnessthebuyingand votingpower,womenandmombloggersaremorepopularthanever.

Thechangesofbloggingarecreatingapositivemediumnotonlyforreadersbutforjournalismasa wholeItgivesadifferentperspectiveonissuesandalsogivesallissuesa

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TakingtheJ1010courseofferedmanydifferentperspectivesofthejournalismprofessionthatIdid notknowbeforehand.Basedonthematerialspresentedinclassandintheonlinelessonsthis semester,mycurrentcareerinterestshavechangedcomparedtomyinterestsatthebeginningofthe semester.Thereweremanylecturesinthiscoursethatwereinterestingtome.Inparticular,alecture thatstandsoutinmymindfromtakingthiscourseisProfessorBrianKratzer'sphotojournalism lecture.Priortothisclass,Ihadneverconsideredmyselftakingonajobdealingwiththegraphicor designportionofjournalism;Ihadalwayspicturedmyselfstrictlytakingpartinthewritingaspect oftheprofessionProfessorKratzer'slectureinspiredmetoconsiderbranchingoutinto photojournalismclassesnextyear,andtoalsoimaginemyselfhavingajobfocusedon photojournalism.Ihavealwaysknownthatpicturesareamajorpartofjournalism,butseeingthe examplesofpictureshispaststudentshadtakenincreasedmyinterestonthesubject.Whatinitially drawsmetophotojournalismisthefactthatstory–tellingisstillattainableandjustaseffective throughpicturesIstillwanttobeinvolvedwiththewritingprocesssomehowinafuturejob,but photojournalismisnowaninterestareathatIamstronglyconsidering.Iamalsoplanningon minoringinart,somergingjournalismandartwouldbehelpfulwhenseekingoutamoreartisticjob inthefield.Another

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