What Is Journalism For?

In Chapter One of the book “The Elements of Journalism” by Bill Kovack and Tom Rosenstiel, the author gives us a clear definition of Journalism since its beginning until today. The reader could appreciate the difference between how journalism was seen in the past and how it is today. According to the author, back in the days Journalism was defined based on whatever the journalists said. It was mainly controlled by the government, corporations and organizations. Furthermore, It was a crime in some countries such as England to tell something that was not approved by any of these powerful institutions. However, the essence of journalism from the past has changed over the years. The definition of journalism based on the reporters, journalist, or government’s word is no longer accepted because of the advancement in technology. In the digital era journalism needs to be based on something more unchangeable and solid rather than the technology or the techniques journalist employ. Journalism has to be defined based on the effects the news bring to the public. How does the news function among the citizens is so much important than the skills and the word of a journalist. At the beginning, newspaper was the main source of news worldwide. Today we have various sources such as the internet, TV and radio. Therefore the values of journalism are based on a solid reason; public opinion. Journalism has a great power in the citizen’s life because it gives the public a freedom of speech, a democratic society and the right to differentiate between the lie and the truth. As a result of this, a journalist has huge responsibilities with the citizens because of its direct influence on public opinion. Journalism has to be guided by the public interest not organizations, governments or corporations. Moreover, a journalist needs to be a critical thinker. This means that they must have the ability to think out of the box, to view things from different points of view in order to be objective and precise with the real facts. The public of today is not expecting the journalists to tell them what they “should know” or what they shouldn’t. The journalists have the responsibilities to tell always the truth about what’s happening and give the public the right to take an action out of it.