Journalism's first loyalty is to citizens

A recent broadcast at KSL 

There is a new trend of tying the income of journalists to something other than the quality of their journalism.  "Quality factors often make up half or less of the decision criteria.  The bonuses of newsroom executives today are based in large part on how much profit their companies make" (Kovach & Rosenstiel 51).  According to the book, half of them report that a third of their time is spent on business matters rather than journalism.  This fact is one of the key reasons citizens have lost confidence in the press.

Journalism is indeed a business.  And perhaps it is influenced at times by budgets and numbers.  But my research and conclusion is that journalists today, are loyal to and first serve citizens.

In 1986, the founder of the New York Times, Adolph Ochs, was tired of the sensationalism and yellow journalism of William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.  He concluded that he would offer a truthful and accurate style of journalism.  He published his simple goal:

"to give the news impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved."

Many newspapers at the time reprinted the same or similar statements.  They realized that putting the interest of the audience first was the smartest long-term financial strategy, and newspapers and news organizations follow this today as well.

In the 1999 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and the Committee of Concerned Journalists, they asked, "For whom do you serve?"   70 percent of the journalists placed "audience" as their first loyalty.  Even above their employers, themselves, their profession, or their families.  It is clear how important citizens still are to journalists today.

The book we are reading in class, "the Elements of Journalism," shared a quote from a former newscaster named Nick Clooney, that I thought was particularly profound.

"Whenever I was having a discussion with a general manager or a member of the board of directors, my bottom line was always, 'I don't work for you.  You're paying my check and I'm very pleased.  But the truth of the matter is, I don't work for you, and if it comes down to a question of loyalty, my loyalty will be to the person who turns on the television set," Clooney said.

Examples of journalists who do not follow this code of loyalty are almost always preceded by public rebellions and journalists with ruined careers.  This proves just how seriously loyalty to citizens is taken.

It is my belief that journalists for the most part realize that they work for the citizens they inform.  Without viewers and mutual trust, no one would watch, and their business would die.

"Journalism must reestablish the allegiance to citizens that the news industry has mistakenly helped to subvert.  Yet even this, ultimately, will not be enough.  Truth and loyalty to citizens are only the first two steps in making journalism work.  The next step is just as important: the method that journalists use to approach the truth and convey that method to citizens" (Kovach & Rosenstiel 75).

Journalists report the truth.

"Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.  On this there is absolute unanimity."  For a profession whose sole purpose is to find and report the truth, journalists are awfully distrusted by people today.  Journalists have a reputation as people who are only interested in themselves or money.  I must acknowledge that there are journalists in the US today whose ethics are questionable and who manipulate and twist facts because of competition and sensationalism.  I do believe there exists an erosion of journalistic ethics in some ways because of corporate or political agendas.  But I believe, more often than not, that journalists strive for truth.  And to them, truth and accuracy means everything.  

In class, I had the opportunity to listen to John Hughs, a Pulitzer prize winner and editor of the Christian Science Monitor and Deseret News.  He argued that the errors of few are used by critics to impune the reputation of journalists everywhere.

Journalists often go up against lawsuits and scandals in order to expose the truth. 

Watergate

In 1972, burglars were caught breaking into the Watergate hotel, Democratic Natl. Committee offices.  The investigative journalism of the Washington Post unearthed ties to Nixon's reelection campaign. Reporting and investigations lead to the resignation of the president and several of his advisers.  This was a triumph of investigative journalism.  Because of news gathered by the Post, public pressure forced Nixon to eventually resign.

Journalists are not perfect.  Truth is complicated especially in a world where perfect objectivity is impossible.  But I trust there are many journalists who work to assure that their facts are straight, their sources are valid, and transparent.

Journalists today do report the truth.  I do not, however, trust journalism blindly. I instead strive to be a citizen who is a consumer, devourer, and debunker of the media.  In a world where there are journalists who sacrifice ethics for self interests, perhaps this is the only solution.  

Journalism's purpose in my life

In the United States, The First Amendment gives us the freedom of the press. Because of this, we are allowed to express ourselves through publication and dissemination. We have access to an extraordinary amount of information through journalism daily. Journalism plays an extremely important role in my life that I often take for granted and may not fully comprehend.

"The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self governing."

Journalism today is one of the only ways I can receive trustworthy information in order to educate myself. Information is everywhere and often overwhelming. I rely on journalism to know what is going on in the world around me. I rely on it to understand what is happening politically. I rely on it to know whether I should wear a sweater to school or not. I admit that I do not always keep up with world events, and that talk about politics may confuse me, and even that I sometimes don't pack an umbrella when I should. Nevertheless, I absolutely need journalism in order to be a free and sovereign citizen.

We can see a common theme in oppressed countries today. Countries like North Korea, China, and Syria, all have government controlled and censored journalism and media. Their citizens are subject to propaganda constantly. They are unable to govern themselves because they do not have access to a free press. (Although I am not saying this is the only reason.)

"Journalism is so fundamental to the purpose of democracy that societies that want to suppress freedom must first suppress the press."

Journalism allows me to be a free and self-governing citizen. And that's a pretty big deal.

Not only this, but journalism inspires me to fight for freedom. It spreads the word and provides the truth, which is at the sole of freedom in the United States. Journalism makes me stop and think. It inspires me to be an active member of my community and to try to leave it a little better because I am a part of it.  

Journalism gives me a voice.

What it means to be a Journalist

A journalist is someone who gathers and presents news and information.  However, in today's world of insanely fast technology, quite literally anyone can do just that.  This can be seen on the hundreds of blogs (mine included), and social networking sites on the web.  But being a journalist is so much more than this.  A journalist does distribute information, but they are also responsible for presenting information that is objective, relevant, and truthful.  Journalists have the power to reach people and influence public opinion and they must do this with honesty and transparency.    

It is an understatement to say that many people dislike and distrust journalists.  And it is true that some journalists are dishonest and unethical.  But there are so many journalists who truly care about the people they represent and inform.  

Many journalists put their lives on the line so that people can know what is happening around them and even oceans away.  Citizens need this information to be sovereign, and journalists must supply it.  

This is a quotation from "The Elements of Journalism."  

“Perhaps in the end journalism simply means carrying on and amplifying the conversation of people themselves."  

It is my desire to set a standard for journalists by simply "carrying on and amplifying the conversation of people themselves."

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102241/Restoring-a-Sense-of-What-It-Means-To-Be-a-Journalist.aspx