Journalism as a Public Forum

I absolutely believe journalists should provide a public forum and a marketplace of ideas. Freedom of the press is essential to democracy, and in turn, the press should use that freedom to promote democracy and public involvement. We can observe several aspects of modern society where journalism has become much more of an open discussion, rather than a writer merely relating the facts. These aspects include blogs, news integration in Twitter and Facebook, and even the comment sections on news articles.

Here we can see the author a news story inviting the audience to respond.

 

In the Republican primaries, several candidates fielded questions in a virtual Twitter "debate," signaling a shift in the country's culture regarding politics and interaction with candidates. Whereas the press had previously held the power to question candidates and report on their positions, the changing technological landscape has allowed the citizens a much more involved role in government. Journalists would be best served to acknowledge this shift of power, and invite an atmosphere of public involvement in their work. A stronger citizen presence in the news means a stronger democracy.

"Comforting the Afflicted and Afflicting the Comfortable"

Journalists, as part of their watchdog role, are to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." This is one of the driving forces behind much of investigative journalism, and can alter the way we view prominent individuals or organizations. One investigative work that has influenced my life is Jon Krakauer's "Three Cups of Deceit," an article exposing dishonesty in the charitable work of bestselling writer Greg Mortensen.

Many people I knew had read Mortensen's books, which chronicled his travels to the Middle East, and subsequent efforts to raise money for schools to be built there. They admired his work, or at least the work he claimed he had done. However, Krakauer's article, coupled with an investigative report by CBS' "6o Minutes," refuted many of the claims which Mortensen had made. It was an eye-opening experience for me in regards to being an informed citizen, as I could see how easily the wool could be pulled over an entire audiences eyes. I think it's vital that journalists adhere to their watchdog role and "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," because it helps society discern between truth and half-truth, or perceive flat-out lies. Many people had been deceived by Mortensen's work, and had contributed to his charity. It is important that people are informed about the organizations or individuals whom they support.



Journalists' Neutrality

 Many people believe that the only way to accurately report news is to take no sides, relate the facts and nothing more, and to be completely neutral. This is not the case. As we read in the Elements of Journalism book, neutrality is not a core principle of journalism. News can still be reported effectively when opinions are involved. As long as the facts are being reported, and there is an adherence to truthfulness, journalists should be free to express their perspective, which in turn allows the audience to develop their own. We can see this in action through the opinion pages of major newspapers like the Washington Post. Opinion is clearly expressed, but all argument is based on fact. Most would agree that the Post is a reputable news source, and they offer several opinion columns.

This affects my perspective on the news in many ways. In the book, it talked about how modern news media often plays to the preconceptions of the audience, and I think that's very evident. I tend to lean a little left of center, so when I read a conservative or liberal opinion column, I often just feel more strongly about my own convictions.  It offers somewhat of a validation, as we see our views corroborated by people who we see as professionals. So I think that, in a way, it reinforces the perspectives that we have formed over our lifetime.