What is Good about Journalism?

Every society needs a journalist to develop. Service to the public interest as a core professional journalistic standard calls for the question which tallies with the perception of journalist and the public as to what good journalism is. According to Ahuja (2008), Journalism is that part of social activity which is concerned with dissemination of news and views about the society.

Journalist are therefore supposed to have a good deal of intelligence, knowledge and experience as well as natural and trained powers of observation and reasoning. Carl Bernstein, a renowned (investigative) journalist and author from the United States of America explains good journalism as simple but difficult to achieve which means getting the latest version of truth. And by doing this? Being a good listener, verifying from source to source. What actually is good journalism?

According to Brian McNair (1998), journalism is any authored text, written audio (verbal) or visual form, which claims to be, that is presented to it’s audience as a truthful statement about or record of, some hitherto unknown (new) feature of the actual, social world. This explains it as the act of gathering and writing about news related subjects for all mediums, print and non – print. Good on the other hand means having admirable, pleasing, superior or positive qualities, excellent, not negative or bad. What is right journalistic action? What should the journalist do in regard to this or that story or picture? Should a journalist conceal part of a story or all of it to assure national security? Should a journalist print the names of young people if they commit criminal acts?

The Elements of Journalism by Brian McNair, GJA Code of Ethics can be used to answer these questions. It can be attested to the fact that journalists have received a lot of critics for not following the professional standards of the practice of journalism. The elements of journalism guides journalists to give their best for professionalism. According to Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, there are ten elements of journalism. These are;

1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth – Everyone agrees journalists must tell the truth yet people are confused about what truth means. Journalists themselves have never been clear about what they mean by truthfulness. There are no lies and half truth in journalism. As a journalist, you not have to allow your personal feelings, likes and dislikes to cover news story. It is about being balanced, unbiased and fair at all times.

2. It’s first loyalty is to citizens – This brings about freedom of the Press and journalistic independence. Allegiance to citizens frees a journalist from political parties and commercial pressures. People who gather news (journalists) are not employers of other companies. They have a social obligation.

3. It’s essence is a discipline of verification – This separates journalism from entertainment, art, fiction, propaganda. It leads to objectivity. Here, journalist are required to develop consistent testing of information through a transparent approach precisely devoid of personal feelings and biases. It establishes that the journalist is connected with truth.

4. It’s practioners must maintain an independence from those they cover – Anyone can be a journalist but the important question is, is the person doing journalism? It is good judgement and does the work to proceed from a respect adherence to the principles of truthfulness, allegiance to citizens that separates journalists from partisans.

5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power – This centers on the watch-dog principles which is more simply than monitoring the government but extends to all the powerful institutions in the society on behalf of many to guard against tyranny. There should be serious watch-dog journalism as in the next century, it will not only monitor the government but expanding public debate, a profit and corporate world.

6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise – It is very important not the less that public discussion should be built on the principles of good journalism. Beginning with truthfulness, facts and verification where a forum with an absence of facts fails to inform. The forum must be at all part of the community not only the affluent or demographically attractive.

7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant – Here, the journalist must make sure each story is significant relevant or interesting with the blend of serious and less serious accounts. There are problems that cover news delivery as it includes, bias, haste, ignorance, cultural blindness. In order to write news stories well, it should be based on the inverted pyramid. The strategy on infotainment though may attract audience because is built on form not substance. Such audience will switch to the next most exciting part because it was built on the ground of excitement in the first place.

8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional – Proportion and comprehensiveness in news are subjective. Proportionality is a key way of demonstrating public motives. Journalists must create market research that approaches the lives of the people as citizens. For instance, take us through your commute?, how do you spend your time?, etc. This will allow editors understand how to design a news-package that is comprehensive and proportional to the community and it’s needs.

9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience – Every journalist has personal sense of ethics and responsibility. A responsibility to voice their personal conscience out loud. The journalist must feel free, encouraged to speak out. To be able to say, ‘This is story idea strikes me as as a racist ‘, or ‘Boss, you are making a wrong decision ‘ without the fear of being sacked. This will help produce accurate, fair, balanced, independent-minded and courageous news.

10. Citizen’s journalism right – Here, individuals should be given the opportunity to share their opinions, grievance to the journalist but be backed by the standards and principles of journalism.

The ten elements as espoused by Kovach and Rosenstiel gives the principles that guides who a good journalist is. Listing the elements that a journalist must possess. Deviating from these and engaging in yellow journalism – unethical, irresponsible brand of journalism, frauds makes it bad. Good journalism is rational and critical; it is infused with skepticism but not cynicism. Although it is difficult to measure such attributes of quality journalism, it must be easier to define and identify quality journalism providers. In the end, the question of what makes good journalism has to be answered by these two queries; Good or valuable to WHO?, Good or valuable to WHO?.