Staying Grounded

"At its core, the job of the [working] journalist[today] is unchanged."

In continuation from my previous blog lets deliberate over the question-has the job of the journalist changed in this constantly evolving nation? After recollecting over past discussion notes from my communication law, public relations and media writing lectures, I think the role and job of journalist has remained unchanged. From my past lectures along with additional research from the Society of Professional of Journalist , I've come up with the essential duties a journalist must do and maintain as an ethical professional.

First and foremost the journalist must be able to seperate themselves from their work and simply report facts and events objectively. Their work must be delivered in a fair and unbiased manner. Journalist are the eyes and ears of our society and must keep the public informed. So, what exactly does that all entail?

Professional journalists must be able to write and deliver information objectively, which is what sets them apart from any amateur 'reporter' documenting events with a camcorder, camera, or computer. The lines of what is fact and fiction is severly blurred with the rise of blogging and other media outlets that are wrapped in a deceiving cloak of falsity. Thus, the journalist's style of writing gives us a way of distiguishing what is real and not real.

Hard facts and elimination of fluff is crucial to good journalism. Any one that is involved in journalism knows that the inverted-pyramid writing format is the most efficient way to spread information to a mass public in a timely fashion of the occurence. Their work should answer the five questions of: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and sometimes How? These questions are answered in a concise but not oversimplified manner beginning with a enticing lead. Along with this balancing act, they must write stories that are informative and engaging to a diverse public-no one wants to have to withstand the agonizing pain of reading a boring entry or article! With all this, the journalist is superhuman individual, who entertains, informs, and motivates us under the protection of our Constitution.

Knowing your First Amendment rights is important for any citizen, especially journalist. According to Harvard's Journalistic Nieman Reports, "[Bill of Rights/First Amendment] is one of the acts that explicity denies Congress the ability to tamper with America's rights of freedom of expression." As you all know, the history of our country doesn't necessarily reflect that but never the less, journalist are constitutionally protected to do their jobs. Plus, they are protected and therefore empowered to keep their sources private. Their source should be reliable and easily tested for any falsehood. A journalist must be reveal the facts and maintain the source's identity confidential. The journalist is not only a truth-seeker but a dependable confidant.

I like the idea of idolizing a professional journalist as our own real-life superhero, who uses their powers for good. They seek and deliver the fair and upmost truth with our needs in mind. But with any hero there's always an arch nemesis. Other bad journalist and reporters sometimes bring a negativity to the art of journalism. They act unethically and pass off their work as the honest truth. Once their lies are revealed, especially if they are nationally prominant journalist-then the entire validity of other journalist is brought into question. I commend good, ethical journalist's, who fill their civil duty-which is very hard in this complex world. The journalist job hasn't changed but their environment, tools, and audience have. Their quest for truth is admirable and ideal for anyone to acknowledge or follow.