Journalism
Journalism is the practice of producing media that covers newsworthy events for public consumption, encompassing various formats like print and broadcast. It serves as a vital form of mass communication, with a focus on effectively conveying information to a broad audience. Journalistic writing typically falls into two categories: hard news, which employs an inverted pyramid structure to present essential details upfront, and feature writing, which adds a human interest element to stories. Journalists adhere to a strict code of ethics that emphasizes accuracy, impartiality, and public accountability, often protecting the identity of their sources in sensitive situations.
In democratic societies, the press is recognized as a fundamental component of governmental checks and balances, often referred to as the "fourth estate." However, the state of journalism varies globally, with some countries imposing strict controls that hinder press freedom. The evolution of journalism has been significantly influenced by the internet and social media, leading to a twenty-four-hour news cycle that requires news organizations to adapt rapidly. While this shift allows for more immediate news dissemination, it has also raised concerns about accuracy, as some outlets may report unverified information from social media, resulting in confusion and misinformation.
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Subject Terms
Journalism
Journalism is the act of producing media—print, broadcast, or otherwise—that covers newsworthy events for consumption by the general public. Journalism is a type of mass communication—an area of study and professional expertise that focuses on effectively relaying information to a large group of people. Traditionally, journalism has come in two genres: hard news and feature writing. Hard news articles are put together using an inverted pyramid structure that prioritizes information in a particular way. This structure includes the use of a lead at the beginning that gives the who, what, when, where, why, and how of an event. The story’s scope becomes more focused, providing detail as it goes along to give a thorough and objective account of the event. Feature stories, on the other hand, are human interest pieces that may or may not be tied to recent news. Features, which tend to be longer, add a human element to the news, connecting broader events to the everyday lives of the audience.
Background
Because of the nature of the occupation, most journalists work under a strict code of ethics, or at least strive to. This code includes the principles of accuracy, impartiality, and public accountability. Given that journalists frequently deal with influential public figures and the sensitive information they possess, the code of ethics allows journalists to work either on or off the record in an effort to gather more research, sometimes protecting the identity of their sources, even if the information they provided makes it into print. Anonymous sourcing is a common practice in journalism, but the confidentiality of sources has been an issue in some court cases. Countries vary on whether legislation is in place that protects the anonymity of news sources in federal court, and, in some instances, members of the press can be forced to reveal sources if the information is relevant to a case.
In the United States, the First Amendment ensures that members of the media are free to report the news without fear of reprisal or censorship. But that is not the case in all countries. In countries such as China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, or Venezuela, news outlets of all kinds can be tightly controlled—and in some cases owned—by the government. In most democratic societies, however, the press is seen as playing a critical role in a system of governmental checks and balances. Sometimes referred to in the United States as the “fourth estate” or the “fourth pillar of government,” the press is seen as having a watchdog role, charged with keeping the government honest and uncovering injustice or crimes committed.
In addition to a code of ethics, many news organizations follow a specific code of style that dictates the way their news content is written. The Associated Press Stylebook, which standardizes the way journalism is written and presented to an audience, is the primary style guide used by news organizations, though many maintain an in-house stylebook as well. The Associated Press guide covers everything from the way numbers, dollar amounts, and percentages are presented in an article, to the capitalization of religious affiliations and political or government offices and candidates.
Overview
Journalism has evolved beyond articles in a daily newspaper or segments on the nightly news. The advent of the internet and social media brought with it a twenty-four-hour news cycle in which individuals no longer have to wait for the news to come to them. This shift in news consumption patterns has forced news outlets to find new ways of reporting the news in a way that is both effective, efficient, and engaging. For instance, since the beginning of the twenty-first century, newspapers have seen a steady decline in print sales, and have had to create digital versions of their product that can be viewed through a variety of online applications. Additionally, some journalists have relied more heavily upon social media for sharing and drawing interest in news content, particularly as studies showed that higher numbers of people were turning to these platforms for news consumption. The shift to a near-constant publishing schedule—and the ability of the public to engage with the news cycle via comments or online postings—has also led to problems in the accuracy of reporting. In some cases, media outlets have treated reports from everyday citizens as facts without verifying the information with relevant authorities before passing it on to the public. This has resulted in many media outlets having to change what they initially reported multiple times, leading to confusion among the public regarding events.
Bibliography
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