The importance of journalism
Journalism is a very important part of the world today. It helps keep society updated about what is going on in politics, in communities, in organizations, and so much more. Reporting on the issues and news that should be public knowledge is hard, but a necessary job to keep society informed.
Many films have shown the importance of journalism and how it keeps the public informed of knowledge they should be aware of, but aren’t always privy to. Two films in particular that show journalists working to provide the public with knowledge are “Spotlight” and “All the President’s Men.”
“Spotlight” is the story of a team of journalist working to inform the public of the sexual abuse coming form the leaders of the catholic church. This film is based on a true story of the journalism team and their involvement in “outing” the catholic church.
The information found out about the sexual abuse of minors in the catholic church changed a lot of people’s lives. It took away abusers power, it gave the society knowledge of people they were trusting in the community that shouldn’t have been trusted, and relieved many of the burden they carried for years.
Journalists worked hard to ensure that the catholic church became as safe as it could be once again. They used facts and as many sources as they could find to get their work done and help a community that didn’t realize it needed help.
Another film that shows the importance of journalism is “All the President’s Men.” This film is about the Watergate scandal that occurred during Nixon’s presidential term. As this film is also based on a true story, it shows how journalists have to act around people that could possibly be a source.
It shows that journalists will work long and hard to get the information they need, so that the right people are convicted for the right reasons. They use what they already know to lead them to something they haven’t discovered yet.
Journalism was imperative in this story because it showed President Nixon’s true colors to the nation he was in charge of running. Once people found out what journalists had uncovered about Nixon and the men who worked for him, they no longer wanted him serving as President.
If these issues had not been reported on, there is no way of telling how out of control either of these situations could have gotten.
The catholic church could have continued to molest and assault people without repercussions. Communities could have not found out about the wrongdoings in the church for several more years, leading to even more innocent people abused and guilty men roaming free.
Nixon may have continued to run as president had he not been proven to be corrupt. He could have done even worse things than Watergate if he stayed in his position as President. Our government today could have been completely different had Nixon not been reported on.
These are the reasons journalists and journalism is so important in society today. The public is continually kept informed of things they may not have had the privilege of knowing if journalism didn’t exist. The nation today could be a totally different place without the people who report on the real issues and don’t leave the public out of the loop.
