Proffession of Journalism
I have a strong belief that the press must be part of the 4th estate, or in other words, watchdogs for the public. The public should trust journalists to do the right thing and report truth to them. To help keep their government in check. However, more and more often, journalists are self-censoring themselves, mainly in fear of backlash from different interest groups. In Mexico, journalists are finding it harder to be watchdogs for their communities. Many journalists are threatened by gangs and crime leaders within their community as journalists try to report on wrongdoings of certain gangs. Unfortunately, this has lead to multiple murders of journalists by criminal organizations. http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2009/03/17/2009-03-17_watchdog_press_freedom_deteriorated_in_a-2.html.
I think that getting the story right before getting it on the air first is more important for a journalist. Countless of journalists have lost their jobs, or faced disciplinary actions because they thought that getting a story on the air first was more important then getting it right the first time. Getting your information wrong can also have huge legal impacts on a reporter and the company they work for. Libel and slander cases can plague a reporter and company, as well as cost the company thousands of dollars as the following case of a Louisiana man has hurt journalists work. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/79173-okeefe-defends-louisiana-tactics-in-first-interview
I also believe that confidentiality must be kept. With a case of just one journalist breaking an oath of confidentiality with one of its sources, many other sources will not give up their confidential news and information to other informants in the news. They will do this because they do not want to get caught. An example of this can be seen in the deep throat case. Deep Throat is the pseudonym given to a secret source who provided information to the The Washington Post about the involvement of President Richard Nixon's administration in what came to be known as the Watergate scandal. The movie, "All the President's Men" tells the story of deep throat and importance of confidentiality in journalism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gYgWAvHimM
Journalists must also be well studied up on current events and different cultures of the world. As the world keeps getting smaller and smaller with the spreading of the internet and satellite TV, the world begins to interact more and more with different cultures. With the growing of globalization, reporters will continue to have to know different cultures as they may have to travel to another country, or they might have to report on a war, genocide, or economic takeover in a certain country. As was said in the presentation, "Culture defines what is important to us as journalists".
After studying this subject, professionalism in journalism is extremely important in this career path. There can't be any immaturity at all.
I think that getting the story right before getting it on the air first is more important for a journalist. Countless of journalists have lost their jobs, or faced disciplinary actions because they thought that getting a story on the air first was more important then getting it right the first time. Getting your information wrong can also have huge legal impacts on a reporter and the company they work for. Libel and slander cases can plague a reporter and company, as well as cost the company thousands of dollars as the following case of a Louisiana man has hurt journalists work. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/79173-okeefe-defends-louisiana-tactics-in-first-interview
I also believe that confidentiality must be kept. With a case of just one journalist breaking an oath of confidentiality with one of its sources, many other sources will not give up their confidential news and information to other informants in the news. They will do this because they do not want to get caught. An example of this can be seen in the deep throat case. Deep Throat is the pseudonym given to a secret source who provided information to the The Washington Post about the involvement of President Richard Nixon's administration in what came to be known as the Watergate scandal. The movie, "All the President's Men" tells the story of deep throat and importance of confidentiality in journalism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gYgWAvHimM
Journalists must also be well studied up on current events and different cultures of the world. As the world keeps getting smaller and smaller with the spreading of the internet and satellite TV, the world begins to interact more and more with different cultures. With the growing of globalization, reporters will continue to have to know different cultures as they may have to travel to another country, or they might have to report on a war, genocide, or economic takeover in a certain country. As was said in the presentation, "Culture defines what is important to us as journalists".
After studying this subject, professionalism in journalism is extremely important in this career path. There can't be any immaturity at all.
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