True to the Truth

1. The principles of journalism are unique in the academic world because they are not based on science or measurable data. Good journalists must learn what role they play in society and stay in a constant battle to remain within that role. Often pride or ambition will push journalists into the realm of public relations or activism.
A journalist is someone who informs society about the world around them. Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel argue that journalism occurs when a person acts independent of outside influence to report information (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2001). In shorter terms they define this as objectivity. Objectivity is often confused with neutrality. Kovach and Rosenstiel clearly separate the two. The main difference in their view is that neutrality will attempt to downplay the pros and cons so each side is viewed as equal as possible. Objectivity occurs when someone reports a story with facts regardless of the pros or cons. I agree with their assessment, and would expand on their idea to say that objectivity nonetheless does not give a reporter carte blanche to report every bit of information that they receive.
Journalism requires objectivity because of the role it plays in democracy. Journalists inform citizens about the world around them and in particular the government. Jeffrey Scheuer points out that one of democracy’s ideals is equality (Scheuer, 2008). Effective journalism enables the citizenry to have equal access to information. The shared flow of information grants a realization of the ideal of a rule by the people. Journalists that seek to preserve this equality must be willing to report stories whether or not they portray a candidate, issue, or political belief in a favorable light. This task becomes even more daunting when public sentiment is antagonistic on an issue and there is information that does not perpetuate the ideas of society. In the cases when journalism helps inform people about misconceptions, it is then that the true value of journalism is apparent. Were it not for objectivity, there may be issues that would not be as well understood, and consequently journalism would have failed. Some stories that fall under this category would be the stories of Abu-Grhaib prison and Governor Rob Blagojevich. Neither story makes any American feel good about the actions of those that represent the country or its citizens. Good journalism has allowed informed citizens to take appropriate action to correct these grievous errors.
The dangerous but tempting realm of opinion based journalism is a constant hindrance to good journalism. Scheuer believes that trust is an essential part of journalism. People consume the news in order to process the events that surround them. Opinion based journalism is a breach of that trust. If agendas and talking points are used to find and frame stories, the ability of people to accurately process the facts is compromised. I agree with Scheuer that it is impossible to completely shield reporting from opinion, but it does not mean that an honest attempt should not be made. A reporter can practice journalism and give opinion, but not at the same time. The reporter should clearly delineate when they are reporting and when they are offering commentary. When news agencies try and attract untapped markets, opinion shows are very popular. Fox News and MSNBC are examples of news agencies that seek after niche markets of viewers. While programs on these shows contain journalism, opinion programs bring the ratings. While it is profitable to mix opinions and journalism, it weakens credibility. If profits are a bigger priority than good reporting the good of the public is not being met, and journalism is dead.
Blatantly mingling opinion and the news is not a wise practice, but having opinions on issues is essential to good reporting. I believe that people are generally self serving. Each person enters a career because they want to succeed, and often have a talent that draws them to that profession. It would not be normal for someone to have a career that they do simply because they want to help people. Journalists are no exception. Good journalism is about helping inform people and preserve democracy, but I don’t think journalists as a whole are acting out of charity. The gratification of filling the role of watchdog and gatekeeper is what feeds reporters. In addition to the gratification, reporters enjoy the adventure, the challenge and a passion for the issues. Good journalists cannot be neutral or apathetic towards issues. If a journalist does not have an opinion on a story, they have no motivation to uncover as many facts as possible to inform others. The challenge that journalists face is the ability to reign in their opinions in order to be objective. A truly passionate journalist will want to know the facts whether they help or hurt their opinion. Opinion fuels the reporter to fulfill their role. Therefore I see opinion as an integral part of objectivity.
I will be in a unique position as a journalist. I am a subject to my country, my church, and my family. As I stated above, objectivity is the ability of a journalist to report independent of the influences that their environment has on them. I have a wonderful opportunity to develop objectivity because of my affiliations with these three. Reporting stories without trying to appease these groups is a challenge that I enjoy. During the recent general election I was assigned to report from the Democratic Party Headquarters in Salt Lake City. My specific upbringing influenced me to follow closer to the Independent and Republican parties. The race I was covering pitted a newcomer Democrat against the Republican incumbent speaker of the house. The race was very close and it would have been easy in my reporting to downplay the magnitude of the race. In the end the Democrat defeated his opponent. If I wanted to appease the groups I was affiliated with, not to mention a majority of my listeners, I could have cast doubt on the results and ignored facts. It was a great learning opportunity because I found that I wanted to know even more about the facts surrounding the upset. My opinion on politics led to my passion for finding out more about the story. I felt my reporting was an objective piece of journalism that helped listeners understands the election. I plan to face future stories the same way. If I find my personal beliefs in the story I want to find out why I feel the way I do, and conversely why people would disagree with that. Practice will lead me to produce good journalism that serves the public.
Good journalism requires a healthy balance of personal involvement and public service. Journalists will fill their role more successfully as they form opinions, challenge them, and report.


2. Journalistic excellence is the best journalism provided when compared against the rest (Scheuer, 2008). Journalism’s purpose is to give the information to the public that allows them to self-govern (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2001). When journalism achieves this purpose it can be considered excellent.
In order to give accurate information to the public the reporters must be independent, in other words, free of influence from personal and public values. It is not conceivable that someone could be completely independent but attempts must be made. The website Politico 44 is a page dedicated to document the daily life of President-elect Barack Obama (Politico44, 2008). The parent website Politico is home to pundits and analysts from a spectrum of political views. Their stories are compiled on the Politico 44 website. The website has the potential to be very informative and achieve journalistic excellence so far as it does not yield to the personal beliefs of the editors.
Journalists are supposed to inform the public about the obvious and the hidden. Good information is not acquired by simply taking notes at press conferences (Rieder, 2007). The reporters must dig to find the truth and report it without worrying who it may upset. Vigilance and good reporting skills will help the people make informed decisions that otherwise would not be possible.
The radio station I followed this semester was KSFO 560 AM (Mediaspan, 2008). There are only two or three reporters that work directly for the station, but they do a lot to keep the local governments accountable. Their most recent efforts have been focused on the state’s debt. California is now 42 billion dollars in debt and KSFO reporters have been on top of the developments relating to that. The downside to their small staff is that after resources have been spent on the debt there is little else as far as local news that can be covered effectively. The budget constraints will often result in reporting several wire stories.


3. Each person has their own unique upbringing that defines how they view the world around them. Family, religion, school, and the media frame the world around us. Under these constructs we form our own version on reality (Scheuer, 2008). Within that reality there are events with facts or absolute truths. Nonetheless each person has their own interpretation of the facts according to their own perception of reality. Journalistic truth concerns itself with the pursuit of understanding. Truth in journalism is not something that is finished or defined; rather, it is a developing set of truths. The metamorphic characteristic of journalistic truth is why accuracy is vitally important for excellence and legitimacy. Accuracy or the lack thereof, in the case of the Duke lacrosse players is what destroyed the reputation of the accused players. In the court of public opinion the players were guilty because the reporters were inaccurate and hasty in their investigation. Journalistic truth helps the public have the information that will contribute to their decision making. The combination of various information outlets, including journalism, is what Scheuer refers to as civic knowledge. Citizens take from pool of civic knowledge when they form opinions and take action on issues.


4. Newspapers and television news organizations are going through a transitional period in the industry. Newspapers are struggling with the pressures of competing with the internet. Advertising revenue is the key to paying for the operations of a newspaper. As fewer people subscribe to newspapers, advertisers are more reluctant to spend the money to advertise. Several newspapers have tried to move to the internet while maintaining the print edition, but internet revenue is scarce. Newspapers that are publicly owned are under pressure to increase profits and as a result more staff is cut. The television stations are consolidating because of pressure from the stockholders to increase profits. It is similar to the dilemma that newspapers have. Fewer reporters and staff are employed to keep costs low.
As news agencies consolidate, the quality and quantity of information available to the public decreases. Reporters will be forced to do more stories with less time and fewer resources. The civic knowledge Scheuer describes is key the rule of the people (Scheuer 2008). The amount of available information will decline and our ability to keep government accountable decreases. The people’s most powerful check against government is their right to speech, especially in the form of voting. Unless people are adequately informed about the world around them voting losses some of its importance.
In five years I will have a job as a reporter for either a radio or a television station. In the changing world of media I might be doing both while also posting stories online. I am also studying political science in order to have adequate credentials to do quality journalism. I will work to specialize in political issues and earn the credibility to be a political analyst or Washington correspondent.


5. My job as a journalist has and will undoubtedly put me in situations that will ask me to compromise my personal beliefs and journalistic credibility. I know that first and foremost my personal morals and beliefs are more important to me than a job. There is more than one news agency to work for, and I hope it never would come down to it, but another career. I know it is a bold statement to make before I have been tested, but I need to stay by what I believe or I cannot be taken seriously as a journalist. The biggest quandary that I can imagine developing surrounds the issue of protecting sources. My family is the most important possession I have. Going to jail for a source would be a very difficult decision to make. It is hard to predict what I would do without knowing the circumstances, but I would like to think I would stand up for my family and try and find some compromise with regards to the source. The more common ethical questions would deal with bribes, misquoting, sensationalism, and plagiarism. In various ways throughout my life I have been tested in these areas before and I see no value in bending to them. The tenets of the church have helped me succeed in life thus far and I know they will not hurt me in the future. I am a public servant as a journalist and I am not going to report as a way to draw attention to myself. The information that people need will be reported. The news must have some entertainment value, but there are some scenes and some information that are privileged to a person’s personal life. My job is to inform not to sensationalize.

Too involved??

Watch the video associated with this story http://tinyurl.com/6k7upv. The journalist helps men cross a border. Now I am honestly asking, when can journsalist get involved? He did scare them across the border they had already crossed so mayeb he was just undoing what he had done. I know they are some points where your duty as a fellow human being is more important than that of a journalist. Is this one of those times?

What makes people click?

Experian's company "hitwise" tracks the market share that Internet news agencies have http://tinyurl.com/2qcd2n. The most popular by far is Yahoo news and it makes me wonder what makes them almost twice as popular than its closest competitor CNN.com. First, I thought it may simply be the case that many have Yahoo as their homepage and get a lot of hits for not really trying. Well that may be the case, but Google is also a popular homepage, but its news service is used less than half as much as Yahoo News. I compared the top 10 sites and Yahoo is appealing to the eye, and easy to navigate, but so are the others. I will make an exception that Google News is visually abrasive and thus harder to navigate. Maybe its popularity comes from a public sense that Yahoo is a news consolidating website and not a news gathering or writing site? There is some truth to that, but then why would Google rank so low and CNN rank so high? Advertisers? eh hard case to make. Stories? nothing really unique here. What is it? I know my mouse clicks when I have news that is reliable, unique, appealing to the eye, and compelling. I know I am not breaking new ground with my opinions here but why is Yahoo so huge? Aren't they being bought out by Microsoft? Weren't they almost a failure 5 years ago? What is going on? I'm not angry, I just want to know so I can make a good career choice by knowing what makes people click.

Dead Trees Retaliate!

All of the trees that were mowed down for real estate developement and made into paper are rejoicing over the current economic crisis. The New York Times is reporting that Sacramento, Ca based McClatchy Co. is going to sell the Miami Herald Tribune http://tinyurl.com/698wt3.

**On a side note I find it humerous that the Tribune is the source to go to about the New York Times going through its own economic scare.**

The Miami newspaper recieved most of its income from real estate advertisements and the bust in the housing market has sent those revenues through the floor. This has put a huge strain on the paper and we can expect to see a painful demise of this paper unless someone wityh a lot of faith and money comes to the rescue. This is the story of many newspapers aroudn the country. I know newspapers won't die because they can't. Newspapers have the footsoldiers that find the news that broadcasters use for their wraps. I just can't explain how newspapers will survive. I know they are trying the internet and cuttig costs (employees), but will that be enough? Can anyone out there ease my mind on the subject?

Forget Consolidation... We've got Foreclosure!

The New York Times is going bust? Well not quite yet. Fortunately they're only in dire economic straights, which is this economy is much better off than many of the large firms. The article in the International Herald Tribune http://tinyurl.com/5gqopn is quite alarming. For a long time I have been concerned about new agencies simply having a job opening for me, now I might have to worry about having profitable news agencies that exist. I am not screaming doomsday just yet, but the economic crisis keeps creeping closer to home and frankly I'm glad I have a few
years until I am really on the job market. Hopefully by then things will be on the up and up and I can hope to feed a family.
One part of the article stuck out to me, and is why I am not screaming doomsday, yet. When the article talks about how the NY Times is worried about the economic crisis digging into profits I started turning the rusty wheels in my head. I'm no financial genius here, but doesn't that mean the company is still profitable? We're not talking about trying to bailout debt here. We're worried about stockholder dividends and CEO bonuses here. The greed of Wall Street keeps our economy moving, but it needs to be kept in check. We're watching now the Big 3 go through what the Times may experience if they don't learn from the world around them. There is still time to save themselves, if they don't let greed overrun their good business sense.
I don't think if the Times fails journalism is dead, but making a living being a journalist will be a lot harder working for smaller organizations. Maybe the CEO should read the articles their reporters write and take a hint or two from their buddies in Detroit.

Mumbai Retweets Help inform Opinion

I watched the developing events of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai with horror. I switched channels to find new information and every so often a new video or interview would shed more light on the situation. The general feel I got as I read the tweets on the attacks, was that many of the tweets were simply repeats of headlines from news agencies. As far as the twitter culture pushing the idea of journalism forward is concerned, the tweets on Mumbai didn't do much to convince me. I did appreciate the mumbaifeed and sky news and a few others, but in general the tweets were not insightful. It isn't bad that people were spreading repeated information, but from the perspective of bringing new information to the surface, twitter in general didn't cut it. There are several reasons that may contribute to this. The prevalence of twitter in the region, news correspondents that use twitter, and priority of placing new info on twitter while trying to put together a wrap for TV. I think twitters real value was its ability to give a forum for analysis and clarification. Tweeters can fact check, analyze statements, and flesh out ideas on what the event means for the world. Twitter may not give new ideas but it may become its own version of public debate. News agencies that currently incorporate twitter with the newscasts may also find it as a useful point from which to gauge public opinion. There are limitations to this usage as well, but nothing is perfect. I think twitter will be a good way to tell us why news important rather than what is news.

A Journalist Learning from the Past

Christiane Amanpour's introspective look into her evolution as journalist is helpful to young journalists like ourselves http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/11/24/sbm.amanpour.essay/index.html?eref=rss_topstories.
We haven't talked a great deal in class about reporting on very sensitive subjects or stories that we might get emotionally involved in. I recently went to do a story on a center that helps BYU students with varying disabilities. I went in ready to do a quick interview and turn it for a 30 second wrap for the afternoon. As I read more about the center and carried out the interview I felt myself being pulled into the story. My older sister has a learning disability and have the same disability but to a lesser degree. After the interview I went into the studio to write and report and I felt like the story deserved more than its 30 seconds. I talked to my news director and got approval for a three minute feature. While my experience is nothing compared the genocides and wars that Amanpour has covered I feel I may have out myself in an activist rather than a journalistic role. Before I proceed with the feature I will need to take a step back and be more objective. While features are not hard news, it should follow journalistic ethics nonetheless. What do you think I should do to take myself out of the story? Might this be one of the rare opportunities to put myself into a story? Is there such thing as a good time to put yourself into a story. Let me know!

No cooking these books:Whatch where the vote... I mean money goes.

The Federal Election Commission released the amount of money each news outlet spent on campaign coverage as Fox's Brit Hume reports http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=212323. The drastic slant towards President-elect Obama is hard to ignore. I do not thin we should be ignorant and believe journalists are robotic followers of today's events. They have passions, convictions, and values like normal human beings. What we can see from the money spent to cover each campaign is that there was the media following a trend not following news. In our class we discussed how the media covered Obama more because he was a novelty. A relative newcomer to the political arena, African-American decent, and charming, Mr. Obama caused the media to as Chris Matthews said ' feel shivers up {their}} legs'. Well, when their legs were shaking a lot of loose change feel out, about twice as much as fell out for Senator John McCain. You can account for some the difference because of the run off between Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton, more pit stops, and because of the Obama campaign charging up to $1500 for media outlets to cover his victory party. I can see more money for that reason , but twice as much. I think CBS really has some explaining to do. Am I overreacting? Is there good reason to spend twice as much on one candidate and not the other? How much was the vote swayed because of this? Shout it out and let me know below in the comments.

Watchdog to the Extreme! Politico 44

The website www.politico.com launched a new website at http://www.politico.com/politico44/ . The new website aims to cover the presidency of Barak Obama minute by minute. The website includes links to multiple stories surrounding the president-elect. It even includes a calendar with minute by minute updates as to what he is doing. In my opinion this is a beautiful resource for the media and public. Politico enages politcial analysts from all views to weigh in on the news of the day, and having a resource to gauge what our president does daily will be a wonderful way to keep government accoutable for its actions. I would love for every government official to have something similar. It may be viewed by some to be looking for mistakes and ways to jab at him, but as journalists aren't we supposed ot do all we can to make sure government does what it is suppsoed to? I do not condone witch hunts. I'll repeat myself, I do not condone witch hunts! I am of the firm belief that we should simply report the good and bad, and having close tabs like Politico 44 will enable everyone to do just that. As a public servant his time is our money, our lives, and our future. I want to praise him for his successes and hold him responsible for his failures, and get to know him as a person. Lastly, what do you think? Should we hold public servants to this level of scrutiny? Let me know and comment below!

Ashamed to be a Journalist

Michael Malone, a longtime 4 generation journalist, has a refreshing column on the current demise of journalism http://tinyurl.com/mediasdecline. It is very similar to the comment made in class today about the reporter who retired because of the Anna Nicole Smith coverage. Where have the basics of journalism gone? How can media outlets be trusted when they back political candidates. They can be trusted now only as PR for that candidate and the values that candidate holds. Why has pride led journalist to leave journalism behind? We need a great awakening in the media. Some lines need to be drawn and soon. Trust in news sources is declining. If we cannot be trusted to give the facts where will people go? What will they be told? Will it be true? It is not our job it is our obligation and responsibility. We as journalists cannot take that charge as a boost to our ego, but as a weight we must carry. When you think you've become objective, forget it buddy you're nobody I want to get news from.

Good Journalism Rejected. Hello Censorship!

Recently Senator Jospeh Biden was interviewed by a Florida TV station and had the following experience http://tinyurl.com/6fobun . The Obama Campaign's reaction to the interview is what is more interesting than the reaction of Biden. No more interviews for asking tough questions? What is even better, is that no interviews until after the election. Sure every campaign has this right and the McCain campaign has tried to limit coverage, but really guys? How can we expect to do our jobs as journalists if we can only play slow pitch softball with politicians? We need some bean ball throwing, crashing at home plate, 100 mph pitch baseball. If the candidates don't want to play, find a new arena to play in. Americans have the right to know what our leaders will do. I cannot trust any politician no matter how long he has "served" us as long as he can't account for why he acts the way he does. We need to gauge their moral compass test their value judgement and leadership skills. Running and hiding is just fine when you get lost in the sea on congress, but as the head of the United States of America you cannot run and hide. As a journalist Barabara West was asking very legitimate questions. Often times we can tell they are good questions because the candidates don't want to answer them. That is journalism. McCain and Obama showed during the debates how well they could recite memorized responses and stump speeches. When they have interviews we see their glorious facade fade away. Journalism exposes, clarifies, and reports. Sugar coating is for posters and lapel pins.

When Whats Given Isn't Good Enough

The San Francisco Bay Area is home to some of the most outspoken progressive thinkers in the country. It sets the stage for activists from Berkley to San Francisco to San Jose to make national news about extravagant protests. In the midst of this mayhem, there is a radio station that has the self proclaimed mission to give "right thinking from the left coast." Hot Talk 560 KSFO is a conservative news talk radio that is home to former weatherman Brian Sussman. For twenty years Sussman was a highly regarded weatherman. He has left his green screen days behind him and taken us making a face on the radio. For several years he has accompanied the morning crew headed by Leee Rodgers, while also hosting his own drive time show in the afternoon. Now that he has been given the chance to speak about more than the weather he feels his passion for truth and right can be heard.

Sussman won't claim to be a typical "mainstream journalist." He makes it a point to let all sides peak their mind on the issues, but will not back down that "the right is right." Rather than fall into the stereotype of a radical with no facts, he emphasises heavily issues that he knows very well. His background as a meteorologist gives him a strong footing to fight what he believes is the lie about man made global warming. Sussman believes that journalism requiers all sides to be shown, and his role is to show what the big news netwroks won't aknowledge. While he doesn't share news that show both sides of the story, he feels he is filling a forgotten niche that people want to hear. Brian belives that democracy is kept alive by having more people educated on the issues rather than spoon fed information from an elite few.

Electronic Journalism Gone too Far

I'll be the first to admit that the following individual was not trying to be a journalist, but I post this article to prove a point. David Kernell was charged with hacking Governor Sarah Palin's private email account. see http://tinyurl.com/hackingjournalist The 20 year old son of a democratic Tenessee state representative posted screen shots of her email on the internet.

After our discussion in class on Monday, I was thinking about the argument about presenting truth is journalism. This young man was doing just that. In some twisted way we can justify and condone his acts as those of an industrius journalist bent on ensuring that we know the kind of person Palin is. There is an obscene amount of information available to those who are desperate enough to get it. Where he crossed the line is he used deception to obtain it.

We need to know now as journalists, where will I say enough is enough and not cross the line. Yesterday at work in the classical 89 newsroom, my co-worker was doing a story on the elctronic voting machines that will be used for the first time in a general election here in Utah. The election official told him off the record that the county would be short on voting machines. It may not seem like a big deal, but really thats a big deal even in a state as lopsided as Utah. The reporter wanted to put that fact in his story, but be able to attribute it. He then called back and verified a few menial facts with the official and purposely burried the voting machine shortage fact in the list. The official said yes to all on the record. Now any way you paint it, he used deception. Should the official have been more attentive, yes. Is it the public's right to know that the state can't or won't provide the adequate amount of machines, yes. But where does the public's need to know cross the line of national security and privacy? In my opinion my co-worker did not cross the line, David Kernell did and he will pay.

This post is really to make you think. Where will I decide to just sit on information for the good of the public or an individual? When will I decide to omit information to respect another person, and sacrifice a scoop? You can print almost anythign you want, but should you?

That's why we have the Intelligence Identities Protection Act http://tinyurl.com/identityprotection. The public's opportunity to know does not mean it is ok for them to know. What say you?

Adapting to the Market: Thats whats happening to the news

The Frontline piece on what is happening to the news media brought out some very important issues about where our industry is going. They question the efficacy of large public owned newspapers and the credibility of the new electronic journalists. I believe that there is a lot of hype over what is simply the market shifting to please its audience. The news industry has proven to be very dynamic over the past two or three hundred years. It shouldn't surprise us that old methods and technologies will be phased out to meet the needs of a new generation.

I find it hard to believe that the consolidation of the news agencies will result in a horribly distorted market. The thirst for knowledge in toady's society is insatiable. If people were truly content with any information, there would be no market for bloggers, online news casts, and online news agencies. Despite the criticism from the mainstream journalists, the news is more subject to the viewers wants and needs. This development is a double edged sword. The viewers decide what is important to them and so they are fed. As the sword is swung the other way, other potentially important stories are left behind and people will only learn what they want to learn. With news commentary gaining more momentum over traditional news casts we can expect less news and more analysis.

We can have faith however that in our competitive market, if there is a void of more news and information, someone will fill it. Where there is profit to be made, you'll find a capitalist. America's rising generation has plenty of computer savvy capitalists. The example of rocketboom.com is a perfect to show how entrepreneurs will fill the void mainstream media outelts leave open. Information flows through what used to be gatekeepers without much control. People decide what is important, the media needs to tell us what is happening, why we should care, and how it will affect us.

Don't hold your breathe PBS, your old time journalists aren't making a comeback. They are stickin around in the 70's with thier polyester and liesure suits.

Media Threatens Coverage in Election:

Gov. Sarah Palin recently met with foreign leaders as part of the McCain camps atempt to shore up Palins lack of foreign policy experience. The initial instructions from the camp was not to allow reporters with the cameras. The five big networks threatened to not use the video and then the McCain camp conceeded. I am torn between whether this is an appropriate use or blatant abuse of the power of broadcast.

On one hand we have the McCain camp preventing the public from analysing the credibilty and content of the visits. The camp is trying to bolster Palins forgein policy base in preparation for the vice-presidential debate with Sen. Joe Biden. On the other hand the networks threaten not to cover a real story simply because reporters couldn't be in the room. If that were to happen we would be completly devoid of any story. As voters we would be uninformed.

I want to be informed. The news business must provide stories that are not only improtant, but entertaining. This creates the challendge of not going for ratings over content.

I think both sides took stances that risked leaving the American people, who both entities claim to serve, out of the loop. Its a delicate balancing act.

What do you think? How far can the media go in threatening coverage?

This is from CNN.com http://tinyurl.com/4gkejw

What is journalism? Who is a journalist?

The idea of journalism typically brings the image of a reporter with a pen and note pad shouting questions at a city official. The profession has morphed as technology has evolved and society's demand for information grown. In order to meet the demand, ideas of traditional journalism have been changed along with the concept of who is a journalist.
The founding period of the United States of America is marked with the importance of small publications. The local printers of the day spread news of the war, political propaganda, and developments in the newly formed government. The value of these publications was noted by the founders as they explicitly protected the freedom of the press in the Bill of Rights. The press gathered what information it could about events, movements, and government actions and distributed those to the public. Their efforts helped keep the young American government relevant to its new citizens. Journalism is the ideal of gathering and presenting that information in a truthful and unbiased matter. The role of journalism is to provide that information as a check on government, and in today’s world a check on society. Without this watchdog entity the people remain uninformed about the actions of the government and political groups. An uninformed public leads to a government that is not accountable for the people they serve.
The ideal of journalism has morphed into a mix of information and entertainment. The public has always been interested in the everyday lives of their leaders and icons. Recently large portions of news casts focus on the personal issues that of public figures. The spreading of this information does not help people keep a check on the government. This new role of journalism provides society with a check on itself. The public use the news about celebrities as a way to gauge current values and how they will hold up. This side of journalism has always existed but the recent boom in entertainment news has been aided by the internet and mobile reporting. News organizations are businesses and must provide the public with what will bring in revenue for the network. Journalists must find the balance between informing the public on issues that matter and satiating the public’s lust for gossip.
Journalists are found wherever news is happening. That statement may seem broad and cliché, but in reality anyone who can broadcast, publish, or share information with another can be considered a journalist. Each individual who seeks to inform another about current events is helping society keep a check on itself and the government. No job title or license is required to be considered a journalist. YouTube, camera phones, blogs, cell phones and the internet in general have increased the flow of information and its ease of access. Official news organizations rely on their own reporters as well as the accounts of regular people at the scene of news events. Fox News and Reuters are two examples of news organizations that encourage their viewers to send in their pictures, video, and stories to be shared on the air. However, there is a distinction to be made between a journalist and a commentator. A journalist must present facts in a truthful and balanced matter, whereas a commentator offers their opinion and views on news events. Some individuals such as Sean Hannity or Bob Schieffer play both roles. It is the responsibility of the reporter to clarify when they are a commentator or a journalist. Misleading the public on either end is detrimental to the views the public has on reality.
Journalism is the medium through which the public is informed about the world around them. Responsible journalism provides the invaluable service of keeping government accountable to its people. Those who aspire or claim to be journalists must be careful to present the information in a way that follows the facts and does not play favorites. Holding to the ideal of journalism is essential to keeping the profession an asset rather than a detriment to our world.