keskiviikko 9. marraskuuta 2011

Only Professionals Are Journalists

Let’s face it. We journalist are lousy marketing people.
If you stumble into a discussion about whether blogging is journalism or not, or what is the future of journalism since everybody can be a publisher on the web…  you could start yelling about how good journalist are on writing stories. You will suggest that ordinary writing people are not that good at storytelling..
Let’s be frank about journalism. Journalism is nothing more than a process for refining information. This process includes ethic elements, focus groups, timing and al lot more aspects that constantly are present in a news room.
Journalism is journalism when it contains this element of profession. Period.
The news business is in is biggest change in its history. The news business is changing paradigm, and nobody seems to understand where it is heading. This huge change gives the stage to all kinds of thinkers. How often have we not heard that journalism is dead or that the form off news is dead or a whole lot more of that kind.
The more information you are facing, the more you are asking yourself “What piece of information can I trust?”.
Quality journalism is never true. No journalism is ever true. It is at its best plausible.
The journalistic process tires to make sense of things and processes in a complex world. The better the elements of professionalism is in the journalistic process, the more plausible the outcome is.
Journalism is still not only about what you want to know. It is still – as it has always been – about what you need to know.
This will stay the same regardless if you consume journalism on paper, pads, mobiles or on television.
Only professionals are journalists.
But we are lousy at letting people know this fact.

2 kommenttia:

  1. I disagree: Journalism is maybe more what you want to know than what you need to know. Journalism is not education. It is more and more stories, point of views, explanations. And the consumer chooses, unfortunately, what he/she wants to know. Even though it is not making him/her a better citizen.

    Better the package, easier to enjoy. Journalism is much more than dividing the information. It is more or less emotion, as everything else in the life. The driving force of an human being is not reason, it is emotion.

    VastaaPoista
  2. Don't remember who said this, but I have no reason for stopping believing in it: “Journalism is telling true stories, well and accurately. Journalism is communicating information that will help people make sense of their world. Journalism is getting the story behind the story, avoiding the spin, finding the truth. Journalism is a public trust with citizens to investigate and expose wrongs and trumpet rights. Journalism is being part of a community.”

    VastaaPoista