According to Dictionary.com, journalism is “the occupation of reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting news or of conducting any news organization as a business.” While this is a fairly straightforward and generic definition of journalism, after taking this class, I feel as if I have a stronger grasp on what journalism really is and what kind of journalist I hope to be someday.
Joseph Pulitzer once said “put it before them briefly, so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.” As simple as it may be, this has become my motto as a journalist. I feel like the all of the different components of excellent journalism are encompassed in this quote.
Put it before them briefly so they will read it
In the world we live in, everyone is constantly moving. Not many people have time to just sit down and enjoy a nice, lengthy story in the newspaper. Journalists need to make sure we put the most important information out there, in the briefest way possible. That's not to say that journalists should be messy about the way they write articles. They need to be professional in form but also be written in a way that anyone could understand it.
While I may preach that this is important, I am nowhere near perfect. There are times where I write paragraphs describing a subject that could be easily summed up in a few sentences. Even though what I say may be insightful and interesting, it more than likely loses the attention of those that may have been reading to begin with.
When it comes to writing brief, but concisely, it is typically important to put the most important information in the beginning. A journalist can write more later on in the article for those dedicated readers, but for the general public who only reads the first few sentences, important aspects to the story should be put up front. There may be a very well-written article with crucial information, but if the beginning isn't to the point, valuable readers and viewers may get lost in the shuffle.
Clearly so they will appreciate it
The book, Elements of Journalism, states that “journalists must make the significant interesting and relevant.” Writing news clearly does not just mean putting things in layman's terms. It means we make sure that those who we are writing for can understand it. We can write the most wonderful piece, but if it's not written in a way that others will be able to understand it, it might well have never been written in the first place. No one wants to have a dictionary and encyclopedia while reading or watching the news, so we shouldn't write in such away where that might be necessary. Journalists are supposed to inform, but not confuse, their viewers
Picturesquely so they will remember it
Journalists don't need to use big, flowery words in order to paint a picture in the viewers mind. Some of the best stories I have read have used simple words, but the way they were worded and put together made it all the more memorable. Journalists are supposed to bring the news of the world to the homes of those they serve. While they could easily just write boring articles quickly, it's so important to take the time to make sure the story is interesting for those reading it. This doesn't mean that journalists need to be literary masters like Shakespeare or Charles Dickens in order to write good news, but it does mean they have to be somewhat creative in their writing. I mean, there's a lot of competition out there. The editors and managers of different journalism companies are going to want journalists that know how to write news that sells.
However, when writing these interesting stories, a journalist must always remember not to make things up. Not only will the inevitably find out and lose credibility for themselves and their company, but it shows a low sense of integrity. I think that one of the best qualities to say you have is that of integrity.
And, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light
Journalists are obligated to tell the truth. Sometimes we may be faced with situations where it may be easier to look the other way, or to make something up to protect someone we are writing about. However, that is not the job of someone in journalism – that's what Public Relations is for. People come to news sources because they want to know what is going on in the world. It is up to us to give that to them, regardless of what the consequences may be. We should never make anything up. So many people rely on the news to tell them what's going on in the world. While it may be a good idea for these people to actually go out and experience the world, most aren't going too. If we feed them lies, they will more than likely believe us, and they will not be “guided by its light”.
Along the same lines, verification is so important. Sometimes there may be a deadline fast approaching, and we may think that it will just be easier to go back later and fix mistakes. However, this is not the case. The more mistakes there are, the less credibility to news outlet and the journalist have. Even if it does take a little bit longer to make sure facts, names and stories are correct, it will pay off in the end. I know that I am more likely to read newspapers or watch news programs that don't constantly have a section about “correcting previous mistakes.” When there are a lot of mistakes, it makes me feel like the reporters do not actually care about who they are reporting to, but more their compensation.
Journalists should not tell people what to believe but give them a basis for different situations and allow them to form their own opinion. We must make sure to stay unbiased. This will be hard. We will be given stories at times that we may have strong feelings about. Sometimes we are going to be faced with a situation that we may not agree with. However, we must report the facts and try not to let our bias get in the way.
One last topic I'd like to touch on is trauma and journalism. The discussion we had in class was very eye opening. While trauma is inevitable in the field of journalism, how we, as journalists, handle it, is crucial. There may be times that we will report on situations that will tug at the heartstrings, or may even traumatize us. It is important to know how to handle these situations, and to be sensitive to those that are being affected. We must always make sure that we do not put ourselves in danger for a story. As Dr. Cressman said, no story is worth risking your life.
I'm not sure what type of journalism I want to go in at this point. Sometimes I think it would be fun to be an international journalist, write for the Church magazines, or just be a local reporter. Whatever way I choose to go, I know that I will incorporate all of the principles I learned throughout this course in my career. I know I won't be the perfect journalist and at times I will make mistakes. However, good journalists become that way through trial and error and just making sure they do better the next time.
So what is journalism to me? Journalism is telling the truth. Journalism is investigating and giving a voice to the voiceless. Journalism is a career that may not bring about lots of money, but the other hidden “payments” are far worth it. Journalism is a career that I often get scoffed for going into, but I wouldn't change my mind for anything. Journalism is writing because I love it, but also because I want to help bring the world to the homes of those who can't go out and experience itself. As Dan Rather says, journalism is more addictive than crack cocaine. I can't wait to see if that's true.
