Journalism

There are many instances in life that we either hear or read certain words and assume we understand the meaning only to later find out that our preconceived definition was totally off.  For instance, when a word like ‘journalism’ is used we all have a basic concept of its definition.   I think we all can picture a reporter trying to get the scoop on a local story, hurrying back to his typewriter so his story can be on the front page of tomorrow’s daily edition.  However, most of us do not understand the basic ethic that revolves around the world of journalism.  In many ways it is similar to the Hippocratic Oath that medical doctors take.  A journalist has the same responsibility to stay ‘objective’ and present both sides of the story.  

  

A true journalist will investigate a story without any preconceived notions of what he or she may find.  They will gather what they believe to be the pertinent information in order to present a balanced account of what they found.  The idea is to allow the reader or viewer to decide with whom they agree.  If the writer would choose to place his or her personal opinion in the story then the piece would be considered ‘editorial.’

It is important to understand that there is definitely a time and place to present editorial, but it should never be presented as ‘news.’   Over the past 30 years we have seen a drastic change in the way ‘news’ is presented.  Journalists used to present news in an objective manner while a certain section of the paper or news broadcast would be dedicated to personal opinion in the form of an editorial.  Slowly over the last 30 years we have seen this ‘editorial’ become more and more pervasive until it has completely replaced any objective journalism.  All you have to do is look at Fox News Network and MSNBC to see how extreme this editorial format has become.   There is absolutely zero authentic journalism taking place on those stations and in most of the main stream media.

Problems arise with ‘editorials’ when a journalist compromises their ethics and decides to selectively choose material that supports an agenda.  Let’s say a journalist is writing an article during the period right after the United States revolution.  The journalist, either for a personal agenda or a business agenda, decides they want to write an article in support of central banking.  That journalist might decide to only present Alexander Hamilton’s points about the positive aspects of central banking while either ignoring Thomas Jefferson’s points or presenting them in a manner that is unappealing to the reader.  This is when journalism borders on propaganda.  The story the journalist is presenting might be completely factual, but the manner in which the material is being presented can deceive the public.  

As consumers of information we need to be aware of these tactics and demand a more authentic form of journalism.   We need to inform our family, friends, coworkers, and so on about the dangers of information manipulation and teach each other the skills to identify and refute bad journalism.  The power to change this is something that we possess individually, without any need for government involvement, legislation or regulation.  We the People...