Name :Hetalba C Gohil
Paper : 403 Mass media and communication
Sem
:4 M.A: 2
Topic : What is Journalism ?Types and Role of journalist
Submitted to:
Dr Dilip Barad
M.K. B. University
What is journalism?
Journalism refers to the news or
feature stories (light, entertainment stories) that are expressed either in a
descriptive way or concise pattern through different types of media. A
journalist reports news, which can be through print, television, radio, or even
the Internet. The main purpose of a journalist is to report news with accurate
facts in an unbiased manner. Over the decades, several types of journalism have
developed that have given different dimensions to the field of mass media. One
method of classification is on the basis of their specialization (beat), method
of gathering information, and writing/reporting style.
Journalism is the investigation and
reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience for different purpose.
Journalism’s role at the time was to act as a mediator or translator between
the public and policy making elites. The journalist became the middleman. When
elites spoke, journalists listened and recorded the information, distilled it,
and passed it on to the public for their consumption.
Journalists have many roles to play commonly as; watchdogs, investigators, moderators, entertainers, analysts, informers, editors, commentators, and advertisers. They are community activists, agenda-setters, and voices for the voiceless. They are public servants, keepers of public record, protectors of democracy, and promoters of public dialogue. Thanks to these responsibilities media is playing, it has earned the recognition of fourth estate.
Journalists have many roles to play commonly as; watchdogs, investigators, moderators, entertainers, analysts, informers, editors, commentators, and advertisers. They are community activists, agenda-setters, and voices for the voiceless. They are public servants, keepers of public record, protectors of democracy, and promoters of public dialogue. Thanks to these responsibilities media is playing, it has earned the recognition of fourth estate.
Role of journalist
The importance of journalism comes
from the people’s right to opinion and expression. Since right to opinion and
expression would not be a reality without the press. People today depend
greatly on the press for being informed. Journalism is taken as inseparable
part of any democratic system. The Press plays a vital role in democratic
society. It is an institution in its own right. The Press has earned the
recognition of ‘Fourth state’. Journalism is the ‘voice of the voiceless’ and
it plays the role of ‘watch-dog’ in our society. It is strong bridge between
concerning authorities and the people. It handles all public issues. In fact,
press is the people’s open forum. Press makes such an environment where people
get information and be prepared to take part in democracy. People’s
participation is the foundation of democracy. Press is the pillar of democracy.
Similarly, the main principles of
journalism are; Accuracy, Balance and Credibility. One of the important
responsibilities of journalist is to maintain their principles in their
reporting. The information should be based on truth and facts which provides
accurate news. Apart from that, journalist is responsible for giving space to
every one without biasness. While reporting one should be balance. If we compare
the same news from two or three different newspapers, we find distinction in
terms of how much one reporter is leaned towards certain groups or political
parties. In the other hand, citizens/ audiences should have some sort of faith
over media. Without credible information, there would be no trust PRESS and
could have no strength. Thus maintaining accuracy and balance provides credible
information.
The general field of journalism has
become specialized with various types of writing, depending on the audience and
motives of the writers. Distinctions are also made to separate various
journalism genres as categories of writing. Some types include
On the Basis of Beats
News journalism:
Here, the primary aim of the journalist is to
report news in a straight-forward manner that covers all the required facts.
The style is direct with focus on the gist of the story with other necessary
points. The news style should be concise and precise. The facts must be
crosschecked which makes the news item as authentic as possible without any
media bias. Here, the news story can be for the print media, television, radio,
etc. Such news pieces often cover politics and social movements. News stories
based on political suppression, public movements or abuse of human rights have proved
instrumental in effecting many a social change, or giving voice to the
oppressed. Similarly, cultural events are also covered in news journalism
Lifestyle Journalism
The world is evolving and people are
interested in reading more about lifestyle. This beat has been on a fast-track
growth focusing on entertainment, music, leisure, shopping, home, gardening,
and so on. Lifestyle journalists study the stages of development of lifestyle,
economic influences on society, fashion, and trends. They provide readers with
tips that can help in changing their lifestyle with time.
On the Basis of News Gathering
Ambush Journalism
This is one of the techniques
followed by journalists to collect news. It is actually a military tactic used
to make a surprise attack in the same way as it is used to confront people so
as to get answers. We come across this method more often on television, in a
news show, or interviews where answers on sensitive topics are pulled out from
people, who generally avoid speaking to journalists.
Citizen journalism:
Here, it is not the professional journalists
who are responsible for the news reports. Any citizen can participate and
report news to the media. He/she collects and reports news to the media and
participates voluntarily to offer help to the media. They bring to notice
issues that may have been missed by media houses
Investigative journalism:
This type of journalism is about
unearthing facts and studying cases that may require more efforts, which can
take months or even years. Journalists who specialize in investigative
journalism create headlines with news that expose scandals. Sometimes,
persistent follow-up of a story proves beneficial to uncover some hitherto
unsolved cases. This would require in-depth research from the journalist along
with evidence.
On the Basis of Writing Styles
Advocacy journalism
Writing to advocate particular viewpoints or
influence the opinions of the audience. Under this branch, journalists are
openly biased towards a particular entity while reporting events or happenings.
The information they convey is mostly one-sided and tends to defend the
specific entity. Most advocacy journalists believe that in their profession,
one is very likely to become partial. As a constant follower of any story, it
is difficult to stay detached. You eventually will develop an opinion! So,
instead of trying to be indifferent,
one might as well report from his point of view
Tabloid journalism
Writing which uses opinionated or wild claims.
This type is a hit with some unreliable newspapers and websites even today! In
this style, the journalist tries to sensationalize a particular piece of news
by molding the story itself. Also famous by the name 'yellow journalism', such
form of news is highly exaggerated and mostly unreliable. A good example of
this is when celebrity controversies are hyped and publicized on a big scale to
grab eyeballs.
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