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.
No comments:
Post a Comment