What is Journalism?
By Emmanuel Perilla
Journalism in 2018 has many faces. The invention of the Internet and portable cellphones changed the traditional definition of journalism. Today, journalism has been expanded from the writer at the major publication to the concerned citizen who records current events on their cellphone. Even blogging is a new form of journalism, since bloggers provide the public with facts and offer their own unique perspective.
Journalism is still a respected craft but has faced serious criticisms recently for its ability to provide accurate, objective information to the general public. People like President Trump have labeled reporters as “unpatriotic” and “enemies of the people.” Others have said that fake news, which is the omission or distortion of essential facts, has become a trend in the field. Journalism remains an important part of any society who wishes to be democratic. Journalism should be a service done for the public. It shouldn’t be a craft that is controlled by a specific group.
When journalism becomes isolated and ceases to be something done for the general public so they can be informed of the activities in their society, then it’s no longer true journalism. Since journalism is an extension of democracy, once its censored democracy can’t exist. Journalism serves the general public. “A Short History of Journalism” by James Carey, states, “Reader, viewers, listeners bring expectations to journalism about what a story is or should be, what they need to have in such a narrative, and these expectations form a conceptual aura or presentational context surrounding the story.
In short, journalism reflects the culture and complexities of a particular community. For example, the U.S. is a multicultural society so the journalism here will probably reflect that. Also, the people in any particular community will expect the journalism to express what they feel is actually going on.
Journalism should be serving those wanting to understand the concrete facts of a particular situation or event. If there was a fire in a building, the people should be able to read an article and understand how the fire started, where it occurred, and everything that happened after. Journalism should give concrete facts, despite the high stakes or complexity of an event. For example, if a journalist is supposed to report on the climate inside the White House and the political rhetoric being used and the general environment going on, they should report on everything they see. The journalist’s job is to give the public facts, so even if the political climate they see in the White House is disturbing or even offensive to some, it’s their job to report. The journalist is not serving any particular political class; they are serving the public by giving them the rundown of concrete facts.
In 2018, a journalism utopia would consist of journalist publications committed to honest reporting of the facts and background of that particular topic. Even if a journalism publication has a specific political leaning they should be committed to honest reporting of the facts of an event. One organization that upholds this type of journalism is The Guardian.
For example, in an opinion piece titled “Chilean coup: Forty years ago I watched Pinochet crush a democratic dream” Hugo O’ Shaugnessy recounts the day he witnessed the U.S. backed coup of democratically elected President Salvador Allende. He provides concrete facts of the events of that day. The Guardian stands above many publications because they provide the facts and they give objective reporting.
