Final Exam: Excellence in Journalism

#1.
Objectivity: “The term has become so misunderstood and battered, it mostly gets the discussion off track…originally it was not the journalist who was imagined to be objective. It was his method. Today, however, in part because journalists have failed to articulate what they are doing, our contemporary understanding of this idea is mostly a muddle…” (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2001, e9)
Today the “method” and the “journalist” are one; I believe they are no longer separate. I believe you can tell a lot about a journalist through the methods he/she uses, making it important that your methods, ideals, and values as a journalist all match up. Objectivity is an important element of journalism because it gives the power to the people to interpret for themselves. As a journalist it is not our job to create and interpret meaning into the news, that job is for the public. Opinions in journalism belong on the editorial page. I think that journalists can have an impact if their opinions are expressed appropriately. If a journalist steps forward and offers an opinion where it is asked for and wanted I think there is no harm, but opinions that are expressed where they do not belong can be harmful to the journalist and to the public.
I most definitely think as a journalist I can have my own opinion, I will always have those opinions, but it is not my job to voice my opinion to the public, it is my job to tell the facts and let them gain their own opinions. I will have my own emotions about a murder, or the passing of a bill, but my job is to report it, inform the public and let them decide. I will always value my opinions as a journalist, and they may help me become a better journalist, but they do not need to be expressed through journalism. Handing objectivity may sometimes become difficult, take for example prop 8; had I been following the issue as a reporter I would have had to be very careful and very objective. It would be an issue that I had a lot of opinions about, an issue that I would have liked to defend and support, but as a journalist that is not my job. I believe that in order to handle objectivity it so important to understand all angles evenly, while you may not agree with some angles/opinions in the news, it is your job to let others know.

#2.
“…We cannot simply equate excellence with popularity or success. Often they coincide, but sometimes they do not” (Scheuer, 2008, 39). Excellence in journalism cannot be defined by #’s of success and profit. Just in the past few weeks we have seen newspapers go bankrupt that have produced excellent journalism but do not have the means to stay afloat. As Jeffery Scheurer writes in his book The Big Picture, Journalist excellence is journalism that has “credibility, competence, and good writing” (2008, 42). It is journalism that has been good and will always be good. Journalistic excellence is reliable, consistent, quality, and never waivers in truth. Independence and public vigilance are important because it is through the people that we can measure this excellence. “Even great journalism is pointless if no one consumes it” (Scheuer, 2008, 43). Journalism needs the watchful eye of the public to keep it in check, and to be a constant observer in the way we produce.
While observing the Deseret News Newspaper I can say that I believe they achieve excellence in journalism. They were reliable, never had controversy on something that had been written, and were consistent. The paper was always quality. I did however observe that the because of the affiliation of the paper and the local church, I find that the stories and the issues they cover seem to coincide with those filters the news must go through. I had a professor that was a writer for this paper and told us of her frustration with the paper and restrictions she had as a reporter. Though the paper may have strict guidelines, I do believe that the paper achieves this excellence.

#3.
In “The elements of Journalism” as mentioned above, it describes this ‘journalistic truth’ as a process towards understanding. “It is a sorting-out process that develops between the initial story and the interaction among the public, newsmakers, and journalists over time.” The difference between absolute and journalistic truth is that it is a continuing process; it is complicated and not absolute. My favorite phrase used in the section: “The search for truth becomes a conversation.” Understanding builds and changes. It allows the public community to react to it and allows for this sorting out process, it becomes a link to another element of journalism: Verification. It contributes to civic knowledge by building on it and again continues the process of truth.


#4.
The demand for a tangible newspaper is decreasing as we innovate new and faster ways to produce the news. With the Internet, through news web sites, blogs, and even networking tools like twitter we are getting our news instantly in a more convenient way. There is this high migration of readers going to the web, making circulation fall.
For our country it means lost jobs; I love newspapers, it’s a daily page of history. We have transferred our world over to the Internet and the downsizing of newspapers shows that we’re moving that over to the Internet as well.
5 years from now I think my career as a broadcast journalist will have some different job descriptions. I think I will be more involved in Web media. Because of the downsizing I will have to learn skills that allow me to do multiple jobs. I will have more to do and less time to do it. I think in these 5 years it will still be a big transitional period. 10 years from now I don’t know that I will have a guaranteed job; generations after me will come into the industry on top of technology and with new innovations ready. I think that news on the web will only continue to grow and advance the way we spread the news.

#5.
If I were to create a thesis for my code of conduct as a journalist it would be this: As a working journalist I plan to conduct myself in a way that represents my religion and myself in a positive, honest, and ethical way.
I consider my religion to be an advantage in the industry. It can help to be a guide in times of question and will help represent myself well. I will never put in question my morals or values to build my career. While I will not preach or shout my religion in the work place, I will be an example as a member of the church.
As a journalist I will be just that: A journalist, not an actress. I’m working for the people, it’s not about me, it’s about them. They deserve an unbiased account of the events that they can interpret on their own. TRUTH: As a journalist my main objective will be to prevent harm and tell the truth; good journalism does both. “Truth, at first glance, has two faces: getting it right, and getting it all” (Scheuer, 2008, 45). I will be honest and truthful, not just in what I report, but how I report. It is important to be honest in obtaining information, and not taking advantage of that information before it is made public. I will defend the freedom of the press.
As a journalist I will always keep my life in perspective, I will try to focus on the big picture. I will let my conscious guide me in decision-making. I will also follow SPJ’s code of ethics:
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics:
Seek Truth and Report It

- Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.


Minimize Harm

- Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.

Act Independently

- Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.

Be Accountable

- Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other. 


"Work in Progress" - Twitter Reveals All About CNN's Wire

In a New York times article (Monday Dec. 8) Twitter gets more publicity and credit as it's own real time wire service. A newspaper staff member in the CNN meeting shared the networks plan on their own wire service LIVE on Twitter. "Still definitely a work in progress" said Ryan Pitts, director for The Spokesman-Review in Washington. Journalists were invited to the discussion to provide feedback on the new wire service, knowing very well that all would be reported, they maybe didn't expect it to get out so quick... Go Twitter... 

Twitter Coverage

After the recent Mumbai attacks and researching the coverage of that I find that I'm a little in the middle when it comes to my opinion on how it was covered on Twitter. Twitter is after all a way of "crowd sourcing". I find that some of the tweets were too repetitive, some of the same people saying the same thing. Other times I felt that the information being provided would be helpful for me as a journalist. But then I'd have to answer the question "How do I know this is legitimate? How do I verify this?" I think that is a weakness of crowd sourcing and also of using tools like Twitter. You never know if that person that says they're there is really there.... Are they just pretending to be there or are they really a part of the news? Twitter has been become a great tool for journalists to use to get tips on stories, after verification we may find that someone on Twitter was the 1st to find out. I think it can most definitely be used for good, but with caution.  

"There are more pictures on television, that's about it!"

Andy Rooney commented on newspapers on Sunday evening during 60 minutes. I immediately stopped to hear what he had to say. Andy used to write for a newspaper before WWII and I remember learning about him in my media history class. He says he thinks of himself 1st as a newspaper man above and beyond a broadcast man. Andy worries about the decline of newspapers, but said something interesting:

 "There has been a steady decline in the circulation of almost all newspapers. But it's strange because there is still no decline in the faith that people put in their newspaper. Readers check their newspaper every morning to see whether what they saw on television the night before is really true. "

He goes on to say that television news is not subject to the same scrutiny that newspapers are, "Television news is on the screen one minute and gone the next... There are more pictures on television, that's about it." What do you think, TRUE or FALSE? 

63-1 Obama!

According to UWIRE's Presidential Endorsement Scorecard, Obama is leading the college endorsements scene 63-1. It also reports that he leads in regular newspaper endorsements 23-1. I wrote a previous blog on whether newspapers should take this role and endorse candidates, some are passionate about the papers staying objective, and some don't care; but the polls also show that the race is still pretty close, so how is it that there is so many more papers endorsing Obama? Where are the McCain fans? One college newspaper has come out with an endorsement, why only one? Do you think there are more but they just don't want to come out? Maybe there is a connection between the conservative candidate and a conservative newspaper; a newspaper that doesn't believe in endorsing. 

The Boston Globe is next to redesign it's newspaper. I like this one!

Taking Back Words

New York Post page six is a page to take back words. Poynter.org connected me with a Journalism Review that told about the current problem. The Post would publish articles only to find out they weren't true and apologize for the mistake. This goes along with verification (Like the wonderful class presentation this last week). If an article/source isn't verified then they have to take it back, I think that is LAME. Even if it is just a story about Michelle Obama. Here is some of the article that was "taken back": 

"The source who told us last week about Michelle Obama getting lobster and caviar delivered to her room at the Waldorf-Astoria must have been under the influence of a mind-altering drug. She was not even staying at the Waldorf. We regret the mistake, and our former source is going to regret it, too. Bread and water would be too good for such disinformation."

They also had to clarify a story about Pamela Anderson and a date she went on... problem was, she didn't even go on the supposed date they talked about... VERIFY!