Making Significant News, Interesting and Relevant

Journalists must make the significant interesting and relevant. Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue the important. According to Journalism.org, for its own survival, journalism must balance what readers know they want, with what they cannot anticipate but need. In short, it must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.

The effectiveness of a piece of journalism is measured both by how much a work engages its audience and enlightens it. This means journalists must continually ask what information has most value to citizens and in what form. While journalism should reach beyond such topics as government and public safety, a journalism overwhelmed by trivia and false significance ultimately engenders a trivial society. To make important news stories interesting to audiences, one must write the piece as a great story with human experience intertwined in it.

Storytelling and information are not contradictory. The Neiman report explains that they are better understood as two points on a continuum of communication... Most journalism, like most communication, exists in the middle. The journalists’ task is to find the way to make the significant interesting for each story and finding the right mix of the serious and the less serious that offers an account of the day. Journalism is an art of making potentially boring, but important topics interesting and appealing to readers.

http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102547/Journalists-Must-Make-the-Significant-Interesting-and-Relevant.aspx

http://www.visualwriter.com/Journalism/NewsStory.htm

Making News Comprehensive and Proportional

Journalists must make the news comprehensive and proportional. The Neiman reports encourage us to think of journalism as mapmaking. This helps us see that proportion and comprehensiveness are key to accuracy. The Neiman reports give an example, Journalists who devote far more time and space to a sensational trial or celebrity scandal than they know it deserves, because they think it will sell, are like cartographers who drew England and Spain the size of Greenland because it was popular.

Comprehensiveness and proportion are also important because the public relies on journalists to tell them what the next big trend will be. Keeping news in proportion and not leaving important things out are also cornerstones of truthfulness. According to Journalism.org, journalism really is a form of cartography: it creates a map for citizens to navigate society. Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping or being disproportionately negative all make a less reliable map.

As we refer to journalism as a form of mapping, we must remember that the map should also include news of all our communities, not just those with attractive demographics. This kind of news coverage is best achieved by newsrooms with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. Those going into the managerial side of journalism should remember that a diverse newsroom means better proportion over all.

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102548/Journalists-Should-Keep-the-News-in-Proportion-and-Make-It-Comprehensive.aspx

http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles

http://new-york-real-estate-law.com/blog/2011/11/cccs-seminar-keeping-things-in-proportion-section-72-of-the-victorian-charter-post-momcilovic-and-in-comparative-perspective/

Journalists and their Conscience

Journalists have a responsibility to exercise their personal conscience. Poynter News university describes conscious journalism as the following: It is time for a journalism that perseveres in spite of hostile forces. It is time for a journalism that believes in doing the right thing. It is time for a journalism that desires to help the undesirable. It is time for a journalism that never forgets the forgotten. It is time for a journalism that cares.

The Nieman reports say every journalist from the newsroom to the boardroom, must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility, a moral compass. Journalists have a responsibility to voice their personal conscience out loud and allow others around them to do so as well. Countless hurdles make it difficult for journalists to produce news that is accurate, fair, balanced, citizen focused, independent-minded, and courageous. But the effort is pointless without an open flow of ideas that allows people to challenge one another’s assumptions, perceptions, and prejudices.

According to Rediff reports, "In a sense, journalists are the conscience keepers of society, pointing out what is wrong not only with the administration and government but also the society at large," As the fourth estate of government, journalists have so much power to frame. However, conscious lacking journalists in the past have made it so many citizens don’t trust what they read… There is a call and responsibility for journalists to become agents of change.

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102549/Journalists-Have-an-Obligation-to-Personal-Conscience.aspx

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/journalists-are-conscience-keepers-of-society-pm/20110212.htm

http://www.poynter.org/archived/my-take/80220/a-call-for-conscience-journalism/

Case Study

Splitting into small groups for the case study was a refreshing twist to the standard predictable presentations. I’m not sure if the group came up with the idea or if Professor Campbell assigned the idea to the group. Many of the cases were ethical dilemmas because there were multiple right answers to the issues. Our group was given the case study of the serial killer Ted Bundy. Bundy would slash the tires of women’s’ cars in supermarket parking lots. He then would approach the women offering to help, but would abduct them instead.

We had to make the decision of whether or not to inform the public of these actions. Informing the public could cause the killer to change his approach, but if the public wasn’t informed more women could fall victimized. We decided that if we were to inform the public of his tactics he would probably change his approach. As a result, we decided to inform the public of his description, but not give his whole approach. We suspected that the police would have an easier time catching him if they knew his plan, and as a result save more women from being murdered. Our group agreed we had to choose between two bad decisions in order to ultimately catch the criminal. But when people’s lives are in danger such as in this case, it may take deep analyzing to find the best solution.

http://www.biography.com/people/ted-bundy-9231165

http://www.celebritymorgue.com/ted-bundy/

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/bundy/index_1.html

Ethics in Journalism

Ethics in journalism is the foundation of good practice. The Society of Professional Journalists says, “Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.” Gathering and interpreting the news both pose significant opportunities for journalists to be unethical. The presenting group reminded the class that journalists should remember that their colleagues, sources and subjects of their reporting are human beings and have feelings, thoughts and opinions like everyone else, which should be respected.

Last week I did a story on the missionary tragedy where two missionaries were killed in a hit and run. I was assigned by my news director to go interview the friends and family of one of the missionaries. For the first time I had total hands on experience with dealing with those affected by such a heart wrenching tragedy. From that experience I learned how important it is to show kindness towards those affected adversely by news coverage.

Ethics in journalism encompass; clarification and explanation of news coverage, encouragement of the public voice against the media, admitting mistakes and correcting them. It also encompasses acting independently. It is important to be current on all that is going on, without going so far as to be involved.  Ethics in journalism really just represent the characteristics of being an honest, considerate and good person. There is no rocket science to being ethical, it’s mostly just common science.

http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/2128/the-ethics-of-civic-journalism-independence-as-the-guide/

http://www.spj.org/ethics.asp

http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Political Forum at the U

I went to the political forum at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake on October 28^th. The forum was titled, “Political Reporting and the Fourth Estate: Who Watched Government?” It was an enlightening forum. The panelists were; Susan Tolchin, a professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason, John Daley, a reporter for the Deseret News, and Matt Canham, a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune Washington Correspondent.

The panelists explained how journalists really are the fourth estate of the government. The watchdog state. Often politicians don’t do a certain thing because they know the media will be all over it, and it could harm their reputation. If the media wasn’t there as a constant watchdog, there would be much more corruption in politics because there would be less accountability.

Right now there is more money flowing through politics than ever before, and there are fewer watchdogs on Capitol Hill. This is where citizen journalism comes into play. It is necessary to have the eyes of the citizens on Capitol Hill as well, to watch for things professional reporters may miss.

One point Susan Tolchin made that I especially took note of was as a political reporter, it is important to always read the opposite side so your opinion. This will help your opinion to be more educated, and more broad. It is important to look into the deep things the government is doing because journalists have lots and lots of power to frame politicains and it is paramount to be as accurate as possible with such framing. 

Journalism As Ideologue

I plan to go into political journalism which especially attracts bias. As a political reporter it is especially important that I am transparent, and set all of my own thoughts and feelings about the issue aside. Some points made in the presentation included a need for more independent or at least independent seeming journalists. Journalists with a clear understanding of the political issues are also needed, because good stories are created by information, which informs and motivates.

The key is to totally separate yourself from your views and values once you begin reporting in the field. One quote I especially like from the presentation says, “In its purest usage objectivity means to be so utterly disinterested as to be transparent.” On the same token, it is important to also be able to write for a specific side. For instance, when a story is complex, a good story demolishes counterarguments, but it must be aware of them.

One point made, which stuck with me from the presentation grew from the question, “Is a journalist’s job just to view and watch?” I would say no. Journalists inform the public, and how information is presented to them, is often how society will see it as a whole. Journalists must use good judgment in language, we decide what quotations to use, and what emotions we want to put in the story. With that we must tell the story but not make judgment on what people say or what events are right or wrong.

http://jou.sagepub.com/content/6/4/442.short

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/the-ideology-of-journalists-a-response-to-jay-rosen/60130/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E41AQz3zwYI

Independance

As a broadcast journalism major, I need to set my mental conditioning now to be an independent journalist. My fear is I will get attached to some of the stories I cover. I need to show compassion during interviews, but keep myself separate from the stories. Independence in journalism encompasses emotional and physical independence from stories covered.

Independence is the essence of journalist’s reputation because journalists are not supported by the state. Thus, trust is built and confidence from viewer grows. An online source, The Journalists Handbook, says, “Independence is the essence of our reputation as a “stateless” global news organization and fundamental to the trust that allows us to report impartially from all sides of a conflict or dispute.” I like this because I feel it is crucial to be able to report on companies, government officials, and anything else, without concern for anything but accuracy.

It is important to be able to report the truth without looking over your shoulders. One professional reporter added, “even if it is likely to antagonize certain interests, including your editors.”  It is a journalists duty to avoid conflicts of interest or situations that could give the impression of a conflict. Broadcast especially calls for independence, because not only your name, but your face, is seen with the story.

http://handbook.reuters.com/index.php/Independence

http://www.stanhopecentre.org/training/EA/oluoch_seminar.pdf

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/101681/Retaining-Independence-Isnt-Easy-for-Journalists.aspx

Verification

Today’s situation poses an issue journalists have never before dealt with. Social media and youtube present news seconds after it occurs. This tempts professional reporters to publish news immediately because it could be corrected later. But, we must refrain from publishing until our sources are verified because that is what makes us credible.

As stated in the presentation, verification is the beating heart of credible journalism in the public interest. A quote I especially liked from the reading says, “Improving the discipline of verification may be the most important step journalists can take to improve the quality of news and public discussion.” Verification is what sets professional journalists apart from news on online written by anyone. Frankly, verification is the only reason there are jobs for professional reporters.

Journalists must be active finders of the truth. As the book stated it, “Journalists must be truth seekers and truth presenters.” It is important to be open with the audience, and to be as transparent as possible. From the presentation I learned that it is okay to explain how you learned something and why you believe it.  

There are five key rules to the techniques of verification: edit with skepticism, keep an accuracy checklist, assume nothing, remember Tom French’s pencil, and of course be careful with anonymous sources. Using anonymous sources can be a disaster waiting to happen. The best plan of action with anonymous sources is to use them to find information that can direct you to other sources.

http://journalism.about.com/od/reporting/a/anonymous.htm

http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/100292/Toward-a-New-Journalism-With-Verification.aspx

http://zombiejournalism.com/2011/09/b-s-detection-for-journalists/

Worldview

Worldview is a persons philosophy of life and conception of the world. Each persons worldview is different, dependant on the life experiences that person has had. As reporters our worldview deides what is news on a given day. Because the  responsibility to inform society lies on our shoulders, we must be in touch with all of the important issues going on around us. What we decide as news, goes to shape the worldview of the general public.

As stated in the reading, “Worldviews provide us a means of protection from confusion, and an ability to focus Worldview influences.” Worldview encompasses how facts are gathered for a story, the mood of the story, how the story is presented, and the effects the story has on the reader or viewer. Worldview influences each individual, as well as the people they associate with.

An article I found sums up how each person’s worldview affects society and their lives. “What we need is a framework that ties everything together, that allows us to understand society, the world, and our place in it, and that could help us to make the critical decisions which will shape our future. It would synthesize the wisdom gathered in the different scientific disciplines, philosophies and religions.” I think it is important we are aware of our worldview, and we actively create it into what we want it to be. 

http://worldview.unc.edu/

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/WORLVIEW.html

http://www.world-view.org/