So here we are, reading "The Elements of Journalism" by Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel. This week's topic is the challenges faced by journalists. Chapters 3 and 4 takes us through some of the key issues that get in the way of doing a good job: Pressures from the business side of the news organizations we work for; problems finding reliable, quotable (not anonymous) sources; and struggles in becoming smart, sharp trustworthy reporters.
I know some of you find the book rather snoozy. But pretend that you are a reporter and the bosses want you to read these chapters. If that's the case, you have to pay attention and figure out what your editors expect of you. Under that scenario, what do you think would be the toughest part of the job? What would be most enjoyable? In answering both questions, please explain why.
I know some of you find the book rather snoozy. But pretend that you are a reporter and the bosses want you to read these chapters. If that's the case, you have to pay attention and figure out what your editors expect of you. Under that scenario, what do you think would be the toughest part of the job? What would be most enjoyable? In answering both questions, please explain why.
The toughest part of any job is making sure you follow the company line. Following the company line and making sure that you are a good employee go hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteThis seems pretty clear cut, yet for a journalist it can be the exact opposite.
The toughest part of any journalists job I believe would have to be dealing with what happens if the company that owns your newspaper IS the story.
In reading Chapter 3 of "Elements of Journalism" it has become much clearer as to the pressures that journalists face.
When there is a story that may paint your employer in not the most flattering light what do you do? As a journalist your first duty is to report the facts to the people, but let's be honest there are lot of other factors that can cloud your judgment on whether to run the article or not.
Am I going to get fired?
Will my boss even run the article?
What happens if I am wrong?
These are just a couple of thoughts that can influence a journalists mind.
Another piece to worry about is whether your sources are correct or not, and if they are anonymous for a reason other than to protect themselves. All of these pressures make a journalists job extremely stressful and make a difficult job even tougher.
Digging for clues, figuring out puzzles, getting to the bottom of things.
Now that sounds like a great job!
Making a difference with a report whether it is in one persons life or a million must be an amazing feeling. It's not often when you can actually see what your work can accomplish. As a journalist you have that ability every day.
As a true journalist you can fight the good fight with words, to me that is amazing.
I can't imagine the satisfaction that one can receive in knowing and seeing that their words and thought made the difference.
In a way a journalist has the ability to truly be a superhero, and to me that would be the most enjoyable part of my job,
So what I would hate about being a journalist? It would be twofold, first would be the push to market myself or the company I worked for and second would be dealing with the I have a camera and a blog so I am a journalist too. If I wanted to be a journalist I would be doing so because I felt it would benefit people not a corporation or myself. I would be equally worried that there would be a push to promote a particular view of a situation because it would benefit the corporate bottom line at the expense of my integrity. This is also why I would try my hardest not to market myself. I feel that people are starting to see reporters as business in themselves. That they are not about reporting news but about making themselves look good so they get the next raise or contract extension. If push came to shove I would quit, my integrity is more important than pushing or pulling a story I did not believe in.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would like about a job in journalism? The facts! I love investigation. I investigate anything that I find interesting. I analyze and re-analyze things to the annoyance of my friends and family, I have been called Sherlock by people I know because I keep going over information looking for another alternative for the simplest things. I feel this would become a reason that I would also have a problem working at a news agency. I would be forever late on assignments.
Beyond sitting behind a computer expressing personal ideas and opinions that create a balance between what is truth and what the private sector wants to hear. There are people that seek the truth and believe that citizens should be informed accurate information. On Journalism the people that reflect a real passion for their job from my perspective are war correspondents. A war correspondent is a journalist, reporter, or commentator assigned to report directly from a war or combat zone. From that perspective I can imagine the risks a war correspondent takes to collect information. For example; there are times war correspondent have the opportunity to interview a revel or a top commander from the enemy militia. Sometimes these journalists find themselves walking on very thin lines between life and death to the point that even on God’s eyes that might consider a sin.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand it must be a fulfilling experience to interact with other cultures and try to understand what are their believes and motives to go to war. Correspondents also have the opportunity to expose the atrocities of war, simultaneously the tireless efforts of the Red Cross to help war victims. That’s what I can interpret when Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, authors of The Elements of Journalism say; “journalism’s first loyalty is to citizens.”
Oscar Freire
What I would find to be the most difficult aspect of being a journalist is not the following of a corporation's directions, but the actual act of trying to track people down. Following somebody's instructions might not be ideal for ones own integrity and personal belief, but at the same time it isn't very hard. What I find harder is having to track somebody down and get a story or certain information out of them. We cannot simply control or command someone to give us what we want, so we as journalists have to phrase questions and tread lightly in order to get what we came for.
ReplyDeleteWhat I would find most enjoyable about being a journalist is just the satisfaction of uncovering something for other people to read and absorb. I like the idea of being that person who can provide a story or information to a mass media platform. I also would find most enjoyable just the writing in general. Writing is a passion of mine, and to be able to artistically but factually create a medium that can deliver both aspects in a non bias way is something I strive to accomplish.
A ‘journalist’ shouldn't have a special obligation to the truth outside of regular individuals; in my opinion. It should be easy, everyone has an obligation to truth and to research the topics that they are responsible for. Most people just don't do it; I’m not sure why. This might be why the book gives the impression that ‘journalists’ are the only people held to moral, ethical and empirical standards. They made having principals seem difficult in the text, I think it would be pretty cut and dry.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the book implies that if you are a successful enough ‘journalist’ to become part of the management your soul is sucked out with a shop-vac and you have the immediate predilection to screw over your readers, the rest of the staff & the public at large - essentially anyone that isn't a shareholder of the media outlet you work for. Would that somewhat seemingly inevitable outcome make certain ‘journalists’ only want to do the bare minimum to not get fired, or else a promotion might wipe out their integrity?
I feel the real struggle would be maintaining objectivity while maintaining loyalty to the public. How can you be part of the bulwark of democracy if your public was in favor of communism, or heavily reformed republican/appointee government? Is your obligation to be the voice the public calls for, or to the facts? It seems to me, by allying yourself to public you have to have a critical opinion of entities that are non-public, entities which only serve to restrict that public [if only for the community’s protection].
I also think that I would have trouble in not misleading those I would try to obtain information from as a ‘journalist’ only because I wouldn't have a responsibility to private citizens, like the interviewee, but only the public at large.
- SEAN MC.
Being a journalist is a tough job. There has also been many trial and errors in the world of journalism. As a journalist, your job is to be in charge of what you present to the world. Both in entertainment and news. Mainly news. Failing to do so could lead to serious issues. Many of the once thought "top" journalists failed in providing actual news. They tapered with facts, added their own two unnecessary cents, or completely lied. As a reader, hearing about such things would of course lead anyone AWAY from reading newspapers rather then reel people in.
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful to go out, find hard facts on current world situations and present them to the world. There's got to be a thrill to it. Even though i haven't experienced it myself, just reading it gives me a thrill. There are so many brave people out there that risk their jobs, sometimes even lives, just so that the people know the truth rather than sugar coated stories. I really do respect those people and what they do for us. One day, i hope to do the same; because it's a duty not everyone can accomplish.
But there i still a fear that lurks behind this important, vital job. For me, it's the fear that i can't give the world everything it deserves to see. As a journalist, we can't put out information under an anonymous person. The source becomes questioned, and that's something to avoid. Would anyone believe an anonymous person? How would someone it's coming for a reliable source? You don't know know, and that's the issue. I couldn't feel content with doing that. I couldn't write a story where half of it is missing. For me, becoming a journalist means providing hard and sometimes cold news. The truth can be hurtful, but i would rather know than not know at all and unfortunately, I feel like much of that goes on now a days. It's awful to believe that as writers, we can only provide so much sometimes. Hopefully though, i can be a different reporter. I would risk a lot just to know that the truth has been given and exposed.
The most difficult aspect of being a journalist is communicating the unbiased truth. I agree with the notion that no person can ever be truly objective. We are all influenced, either consciously or unconsciously by our upbringing and personal beliefs.
ReplyDeleteHow can we ever really be sure that the way we are writing is from a neutral point of view? It makes sense that Dan Gilmore advocated journalists replace the word "objectivity" with words like thoroughness, accuracy, fairness, etc. I think if a journalist's writing is all of these things then he is by definition a good journalist; he values his commitment to reporting the truth to the public.
Although I'm sure the challenges of accurate reporting never cease, I believe that challenges themselves are what I would enjoy most about being a journalist.
To me journalism is an art form where, within one's niche, the job can be different every day. I'm beginning to understand why they say "the news never sleeps". Regardless of what the story is, there are always various angles from which to write "objectively", always different ways to look at something.
This challenge is something I would love because if you can look at something from more than one angle you are learning things that otherwise you may not have even been aware of.
i think the hardest parts of being a good is figuring how to just report on the facts and cut out all of the other things that may seem like facts but really are not, because most things come from a secondary sorce it may be hard to really know what are the facts rather than something that is incorrect. if you write something that is not the truth you may be discredited and or lose your job that you have worked hard to get. also just reporting o n the facts rather than how you feel, coming from a reporting style like radio i always have to say how i feel where as in writing you should not.
ReplyDeleteThere are many aspects of being a journalist but the toughest part by far is gathering truthful and concrete information. There are so many unreliable sources out there thanks to the internet and the advancement of technology. Anyone can just write something and put it on the internet and claim that it is indeed true.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the best part of being a journalist would have to be finding truthful evidence in a story that interests you. I know that in the journalism field it is not always going to be like this but when it does happen, especially in my case it can be very easy to write about. Being engaged in a story that interests anyone i'm sure, can make a huge difference in the quality of their writing.
The toughest part of the job would be trying to stay in the center and remain unbiased when a topic it not necessarily something that would interest you normally. Gathering info i believe would be tedious at times and trying to remain as objective as possible to the public eye. Going out in the field and experience new things would be the best part. Meeting new people and learning about all type of new cultures would be amazing
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest part of the job would be having to follow company rules even though you may not agree with what they ask for and following them. Also getting the information you need to write about the story. What I would enjoy would be able to travel around to cover different stories and meet different people that would help me get the information I need. And learning new things about different people.
ReplyDelete