Overview of Journalism

Definition 

Journalism is the process of gathering and presenting news and information, which can be presented in various forms such as articles, reports, broadcasts, or tweets. It is a unique form of communication, as it is a one-way message from the journalist to the audience, narrating an objective story based on their observations and discoveries. This storytelling can take various forms, such as breaking news, feature stories, investigative reports, editorials, reviews, and blogs.

Journalism's unique storytelling involves reporting, which involves conveying facts about the story, including analytical or interpretive aspects. This process involves interviewing, studying, examining, documenting, assessing, and researching. New journalists are often taught to report on the five Wd, which include who was it, what they did, where they were, when it happened, and why it happened.

Journalism's Primary Role:

- Informing the public: Journalism serves as a vital tool for disseminating information to the public.

- Essential for democracy: Free societies, like the United States, thrive on a variety of news sources, enabling citizens to be informed and engaged. Conversely, countries like North Korea restrict access to information, leading to a limited perspective.

Objectivity and Bias:

- Importance of objectivity: Journalism strives for objectivity, ensuring that reporting is free from personal biases.

- Challenges of bias: Journalists, like all individuals, have inherent biases that can influence their reporting. These biases can be organizational or cultural.

- Push for objectivity: In the early 20th century, there was a significant effort to establish more objective journalistic practices, similar to scientific methods.

The main purpose of journalism

The main purpose of journalism is to provide the public with accurate, timely information about the world. Journalists inform their audience by reporting on what is most relevant to them.

What skills do you need to be a journalist?

Journalists need to be able to do investigations, conduct interviews, and put information together in ways that make sense. Thus, they need to be excellent at research, one-on-one communication, and writing.

There are many types of journalism, including:

• News journalism: Reports on daily events, such as crime and politics, on a local or national scale

• Feature journalism: Longer than news stories, these articles allow for more creativity and deeper exploration of a topic

• Investigative journalism: Reporters investigate a single story in-depth to uncover corruption, review government policies, or draw attention to social, economic, political, or cultural trends

• Broadcast journalism: Delivers news stories via radio, TV, or online

• Sports journalism: Analyzes, reports, or broadcasts sporting events and news, from professional sports to amateur sports and industry developments

• Photojournalism: Uses the visual medium to present issues or stories in a new perspective and thought-provoking manner

• Print journalism: Involves writing, formatting articles, and conducting interviews with sources

• Business journalism: Tracks, records, analyzes, and interprets business, economic, and financial activities and changes that take place in societies

• Data journalism: Reflects the increased role that numerical data has in the production and distribution of information in the digital era

• Entertainment journalism: Focuses on popular culture and the entertainment business and its products

• Political journalism: Includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science