In religion and journalism, both sectors seek to bring the truth to those who follow it. Truth is what makes religion the determining factor into how we think, feel, etc. As I have come to realize, although truth is critical in the work of a journalist, it can be extremely difficult to do so. Writing any type of story is extremely difficult to do without some type of opinion (whether intended or not) to jump in. As journalists, we seek to eliminate the bias of our work as much as possible. When it deals with reporting on faith, it may be better to have someone involved a knowledgeable about the faith relaying the messages so that the story is not left up to someone else.
Sometimes news organizations loosely affiliated with a religion may receive criticism for backing and supporting religious views or religious figures through news stories. Such as is the case with a preview of a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles talk on constitutional matters. The story was originally produced by the Associated Press and presented the church in unfavorable circumstances. Some may view that outside sources are the best to uncover and present the most truth. However, as one blogger points out, (http://www.nothingwavering.org/post/15804/2009-10-16/conservative-cranks-paranoia-of-medias-anti-mormon-bias-is-validated.html) when it comes to religion, some news organizations may look to tear down churches; even if they spread falsities and information that is far from the truth. As untruthful information is spread by the media, it can have a harmful impact as we know that the public will often believe a great deal of what they see, read, or hear.
In journalism we interview people that have something to do with the story so they can give us their version and side of it. In good journalism, journalists should also share the views of the opposite side of the story. I am not completely familiar with how the writings are displayed with other religions, but I do know that with the LDS faith, the media often turns to those that have left the church or have the agenda to harm the church’s reputation. As religion is a soft spot for a great number of people, they want to see their religion displayed in a good light. So perhaps it may be best for religious journalism to be covered in a way that the followers of the faith feel is accurate. This can be difficult as, “Readers often inundate religion reporters with e-mail complaints and comments about religion news stories. It's not just Mormon readers who are touchy about how journalists cover their faith,” (http://www.truthandgrace.com/mormonslander.htm).
As religion often brings up a great deal of debate and questioning of who is correct or how something should be portrayed, there is a just a need for it to be presented fairly. It was interesting to see local sports anchor Tom Kirkland’s response to a national article about Jimmer Fredette that mentioned his religion. Kirkland mentioned that he is not LDS which eliminated his bias, but wanted the story of this great basketball player presented fairly (http://www.ksl.com/?sid=14900731&nid=966). With religion, the same thing needs to happen. Opposition may arise and there may be challenges but there is a need for information to be presented fairly.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Independence and Journalism
As mentioned often in class, journalists need to stay clear of their personal bias. It is the responsibility of journalists to inform the public, but they cannot play of the part of an activist. As mentioned in the text, “Journalists must maintain an independence from those they cover,” (Kovach 118). Some may wonder why this is a big deal? By having a connection with the subject you are covering it creates a conflict and change in how it is covered. Some may think that a journalist may make a story sound better than it is. As mentioned in class, two female reporters were taken off a story about lesbian relations after they married each other. They were probably taken off the story because it was felt that they would highlight parts of the story and shun others. It is interesting that this is what journalists do in every story, but when it is visible and evident that there is a bias, they do not let the people wwork on it.
One aspect of journalistic biases that people probably don’t think about is that sometimes when they have a connection to something, they may try to overpower that bias and try to hard not to show it. I do some work for a television station. One of my responsibilities is to commentate for high school football games. One challenge is that my brother is on the team. I don’t want to show my bias towards my brother that I enjoy and love, so I often downplay his prefrormance to not make it seem like I favor him. Whether I favor him or not, I am not being truthful in how I interpret what happens in the game. The following link shows a time where I interviewed him for being awarded Defensive Player of the Game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKnPUCI5t8o. We have a great relationship, but this sequence was awkward for us. We didn’t really know how to act and because we didn’t think that we could be ourselves. As I tried to not show bias I underplayed his performance in the game.
Journalists have a powerful influence to the public. They often know more than the public of certain topics and they are able to inform us. It is important that journalists keep allegiance to the core journalism principles, but some feel that Americans are ready for a less objective, partisan journalism. Talk shows and other opinionated news sources have become very popular; especially with the youth of today. Partisan journalism is closer to the style done in other parts of the world, and they would be popular in the United States as well. (http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Objective-Journalism-Vs-Partisan-Journalism/102448). People are more inclined to opinions today and like the fight that comes from debating. The listeners or readers of journalism need to realize the opinions of journalists as the push opinions, factions, or propaganda. The important part of this section is the responsibility of journalists to keep themselves from things that they live, are in charge of, or are involved in. It makes it difficult for the journalist to not share too much or to share too little.
One aspect of journalistic biases that people probably don’t think about is that sometimes when they have a connection to something, they may try to overpower that bias and try to hard not to show it. I do some work for a television station. One of my responsibilities is to commentate for high school football games. One challenge is that my brother is on the team. I don’t want to show my bias towards my brother that I enjoy and love, so I often downplay his prefrormance to not make it seem like I favor him. Whether I favor him or not, I am not being truthful in how I interpret what happens in the game. The following link shows a time where I interviewed him for being awarded Defensive Player of the Game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKnPUCI5t8o. We have a great relationship, but this sequence was awkward for us. We didn’t really know how to act and because we didn’t think that we could be ourselves. As I tried to not show bias I underplayed his performance in the game.
Journalists have a powerful influence to the public. They often know more than the public of certain topics and they are able to inform us. It is important that journalists keep allegiance to the core journalism principles, but some feel that Americans are ready for a less objective, partisan journalism. Talk shows and other opinionated news sources have become very popular; especially with the youth of today. Partisan journalism is closer to the style done in other parts of the world, and they would be popular in the United States as well. (http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Objective-Journalism-Vs-Partisan-Journalism/102448). People are more inclined to opinions today and like the fight that comes from debating. The listeners or readers of journalism need to realize the opinions of journalists as the push opinions, factions, or propaganda. The important part of this section is the responsibility of journalists to keep themselves from things that they live, are in charge of, or are involved in. It makes it difficult for the journalist to not share too much or to share too little.
Journalism Ideology
In our text, The Mind of a Journalist by Jim Willis, the chapter about journalists as an ideologue brought up an interesting section. It brings up the title, “When Passion Enters in.” In this section it talks about Anderson Cooper’s coverage of the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina. Speaking about not only the hurricane itself, but the devastation it brought to the people and the Gulf area. The text mentions that, “he was at the center of the storm, both literally and figuratively, often showing his emotions about how he felt about the victims of suffering, often showing anger toward government officials whom he believed were moving too slowly in responding to the disaster,” (Willis 74). In this case, he became a spokesperson for those suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina against the lack of help the government gave.
This was something Anderson Cooper felt passionately about. He did not act quite the way he usually did because he had emotional ties to this topic. He even lashed out and demanded answers from Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu after questions after work was not done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsuRCXiYGO4. He sounded emotional in his voice, but demanded better answers to the solution to the situation. Especially in times of tragedy, it may be difficult for a journalist to not become emotionally tied to a story. In the book, Willis mentioned how tough it was to write about the Oklahoma City bombings. I have mentioned in previous blogs that there is a need to stay objective on topics, but perhaps having a passion for what you write about may make someone a better journalist.
It may be easy as a journalist to get caught up in the same things over and over again. Perhaps there needs to be a change in how journalism is taught and how journalists think. It is mentioned that, “In decades of journalism studies, scholars refer to the journalists’ professionalization process as a distinctly ideological development, as the emerging ideology served to continuously refine and reproduce a consensus about who was a ‘real’ journalist, and what (parts of) news media at any time would be considered examples of ‘real’ journalism. These evaluations shift subtly over time; yet always serve to maintain the dominant sense of what is (and should be) journalism. Schlesinger (1978) for example writes about ‘newsmen’s occupational ideology’, Golding and Elliott (1979) speak broadly of ‘journalism’s occupational ideology’, while a decade later Soloski (1990) talks about an ‘ideology of professionalism’, and Zelizer (2004a) mentions ‘journalists’ professional ideology’; yet most of these authors do not make explicit what this ideology consists of, other than claiming it contains ‘self-contradictory oppositional values’ (Reese, 1990). Schudson describes the occupational ideology of journalism as ‘cultural knowledge that constitutes ‘news judgment’, rooted deeply in the communicators’ consciousness,” (http://www.promusica.se/Library/Electronic%20texts/Deuze2005.pdf).
Perhaps the constant debate over who is a journalist really needs to change. People just need to get out and write. Sure there needs to be some structure and I would imagine professional training does add benefit to the work of someone, but going through this topic, I feel that journalism is losing them ability to have passion. I think that having a passion for any job you do or what you write about is important. That will bring out the best work. It does however need to be controlled and not taken overboard such as it appears Anderson Cooper did in the affected southern states. If journalists can learn to write with a controlled passion, it will create a much better journalism profession.
This was something Anderson Cooper felt passionately about. He did not act quite the way he usually did because he had emotional ties to this topic. He even lashed out and demanded answers from Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu after questions after work was not done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsuRCXiYGO4. He sounded emotional in his voice, but demanded better answers to the solution to the situation. Especially in times of tragedy, it may be difficult for a journalist to not become emotionally tied to a story. In the book, Willis mentioned how tough it was to write about the Oklahoma City bombings. I have mentioned in previous blogs that there is a need to stay objective on topics, but perhaps having a passion for what you write about may make someone a better journalist.
It may be easy as a journalist to get caught up in the same things over and over again. Perhaps there needs to be a change in how journalism is taught and how journalists think. It is mentioned that, “In decades of journalism studies, scholars refer to the journalists’ professionalization process as a distinctly ideological development, as the emerging ideology served to continuously refine and reproduce a consensus about who was a ‘real’ journalist, and what (parts of) news media at any time would be considered examples of ‘real’ journalism. These evaluations shift subtly over time; yet always serve to maintain the dominant sense of what is (and should be) journalism. Schlesinger (1978) for example writes about ‘newsmen’s occupational ideology’, Golding and Elliott (1979) speak broadly of ‘journalism’s occupational ideology’, while a decade later Soloski (1990) talks about an ‘ideology of professionalism’, and Zelizer (2004a) mentions ‘journalists’ professional ideology’; yet most of these authors do not make explicit what this ideology consists of, other than claiming it contains ‘self-contradictory oppositional values’ (Reese, 1990). Schudson describes the occupational ideology of journalism as ‘cultural knowledge that constitutes ‘news judgment’, rooted deeply in the communicators’ consciousness,” (http://www.promusica.se/Library/Electronic%20texts/Deuze2005.pdf).
Perhaps the constant debate over who is a journalist really needs to change. People just need to get out and write. Sure there needs to be some structure and I would imagine professional training does add benefit to the work of someone, but going through this topic, I feel that journalism is losing them ability to have passion. I think that having a passion for any job you do or what you write about is important. That will bring out the best work. It does however need to be controlled and not taken overboard such as it appears Anderson Cooper did in the affected southern states. If journalists can learn to write with a controlled passion, it will create a much better journalism profession.
Journalism as a Watchdog
The public has a right to know. That may be the feeling of many journalists that look to expose the wrong doings of people around the world. Whether it is a high-ranking official or celebrity or a local body getting away with illegal activities, some journalists look to expose the truth even if it may cause a problem to the world around them. Watchdog or investigative journalism can be a fun and exciting form of journalism. Headlines and exciting stories that no one else has can make the difference in jobs and paychecks. When a reporter breaks a story such as the Pentagon Papers or Watergate scandal, it makes the kinds of stories that the public’s wants to hear, but it is often at the expense of the loss of reputation for a person or group. It just comes down to the feeling that the public has a right to know what is happening in the world around them.
During the tenure of George W. Bush many pushed for opening up and finding out about his war record. Many journalists commented on it, but Dan Rather really pushed it as he had a negative history with the family (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHal4gUGSA0). President Bush’s military record is somewhat frowned upon. He came from a rich, well-known family and while many were fighting in Vietnam, he was tucked safely away in the National Guard. Television programs obtained documents that were negative about President Bush and it showed that he received special treatment and other things as well. It was later found, that the television stations had not authenticated the documents to find out that they were really true. Bloggers and panelists on television shows blasted programs for not authenticating and posting things that may or may not have been true. This brings up an important part of investigative journalism. Investigators need to make sure that sources are reliable and correct. It is easy to just spout off a story that would be enticing for readers. When a journalist fails to do this correctly, they can lose their job and much worse, lose the respect of their readers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents).
In an earlier chapter in our text, it mentioned that during investigative or even undercover reporting, reporters may dig too deep into a story and may put their lives in jeopardy. In the 2007 film State of Play, Russell Crowe’s character is a good friend of Ben Affleck’s character who is a politician caught up in a scandal. The more and more Crowe digs into the investigations, the more he exposes. This puts the life of Crowe’s character in jeopardy and to stop him from exposing the truths, he is almost killed. Many reporters have been in similar situations and some have been fatally killed (www.azcentral.com/specials/special01/0528bolles-profile.html). Journalists need to make sure they are careful as they look for the next top story.
Journalism is a watchdog as it reports the things that are happening in the world. At times journalists may become advocates in a situation that they are passionate about, but as long as they try to show a lack bias in their writing, safety, and authentic and correct sources, they will be successful.
During the tenure of George W. Bush many pushed for opening up and finding out about his war record. Many journalists commented on it, but Dan Rather really pushed it as he had a negative history with the family (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHal4gUGSA0). President Bush’s military record is somewhat frowned upon. He came from a rich, well-known family and while many were fighting in Vietnam, he was tucked safely away in the National Guard. Television programs obtained documents that were negative about President Bush and it showed that he received special treatment and other things as well. It was later found, that the television stations had not authenticated the documents to find out that they were really true. Bloggers and panelists on television shows blasted programs for not authenticating and posting things that may or may not have been true. This brings up an important part of investigative journalism. Investigators need to make sure that sources are reliable and correct. It is easy to just spout off a story that would be enticing for readers. When a journalist fails to do this correctly, they can lose their job and much worse, lose the respect of their readers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killian_documents).
In an earlier chapter in our text, it mentioned that during investigative or even undercover reporting, reporters may dig too deep into a story and may put their lives in jeopardy. In the 2007 film State of Play, Russell Crowe’s character is a good friend of Ben Affleck’s character who is a politician caught up in a scandal. The more and more Crowe digs into the investigations, the more he exposes. This puts the life of Crowe’s character in jeopardy and to stop him from exposing the truths, he is almost killed. Many reporters have been in similar situations and some have been fatally killed (www.azcentral.com/specials/special01/0528bolles-profile.html). Journalists need to make sure they are careful as they look for the next top story.
Journalism is a watchdog as it reports the things that are happening in the world. At times journalists may become advocates in a situation that they are passionate about, but as long as they try to show a lack bias in their writing, safety, and authentic and correct sources, they will be successful.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Verification and Journalism
In the world of journalism, it can be nearly impossible to keep biases out of your work. The Pew Center for Research may put the role of journalists best as they said, “When the concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of bias. It called, rather, for a consistent method of testing information--a transparent approach to evidence--precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of their work,” (http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles). There are going to be mistakes in journalism, and biases and beliefs come through whether intended to or not. I like how this quote mentions that journalists cannot free themselves from bias, but that these biases don’t take away from the solid, accurate work that they do.
Some main goals for journalists include making money and also creating good work. “Inside info” that no one else has can be very valuable since no one else has it. Like in the story given in class about Jimmer’s Twitter account, journalists may skip to give truthful stories in order to gain fame. Whether wrong information is given purposefully or as an accident, this is a serious problem in the world of journalism. That is the fastest way to lose followers. Falsifying information to the public causes them to lose respect because of the ethic pedestal that journalists are put on. We know that politicians lie, hide things or stretch the truth often, but as soon as a journalist does it, reputation is damaged.
As mentioned in class, it is the responsibility of journalists to not deceive the public, show transparency to the audience and to those interviewed, and show originality and humility. Someone in class mentioned that it is not fair that journalists have to be objective and have to present both sides. It made we really think, why are journalists held to different standards than other professions. We were taught in class that journalists should not rely on other’s notes. In other professions collaborated work occurs often, but is banned from the world of journalism. In journalism, sources and the public can have opinions but when a journalist does it is a big problem, (http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/379375_domke17.html). This section really helped me to realize the professional atmosphere of journalism. You have to be doing your best to find credible sources and leave out what you think sounds best. If this is not done, a story will end up just like or class game of telephone-far off from the original story.
Some main goals for journalists include making money and also creating good work. “Inside info” that no one else has can be very valuable since no one else has it. Like in the story given in class about Jimmer’s Twitter account, journalists may skip to give truthful stories in order to gain fame. Whether wrong information is given purposefully or as an accident, this is a serious problem in the world of journalism. That is the fastest way to lose followers. Falsifying information to the public causes them to lose respect because of the ethic pedestal that journalists are put on. We know that politicians lie, hide things or stretch the truth often, but as soon as a journalist does it, reputation is damaged.
As mentioned in class, it is the responsibility of journalists to not deceive the public, show transparency to the audience and to those interviewed, and show originality and humility. Someone in class mentioned that it is not fair that journalists have to be objective and have to present both sides. It made we really think, why are journalists held to different standards than other professions. We were taught in class that journalists should not rely on other’s notes. In other professions collaborated work occurs often, but is banned from the world of journalism. In journalism, sources and the public can have opinions but when a journalist does it is a big problem, (http://www.seattlepi.com/opinion/379375_domke17.html). This section really helped me to realize the professional atmosphere of journalism. You have to be doing your best to find credible sources and leave out what you think sounds best. If this is not done, a story will end up just like or class game of telephone-far off from the original story.
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