Loyalty to the citizens, and loyalty to the shareholders are both extremely important in good journalism.  Journalism is, at it’s core, the process by which  news is researched, organized and relayed to the public.   It is the communication of information to people all over the world.  Its purpose is to inform, educate, and challenge people for their own individual benefit, for the benefit of society as a whole.  Journalism acts as a mediator between organizations and institutions in society, and the people that they serve.  Government, businesses, churches etc. all use journalism to communicate to the people that make up society.  Journalism can both promote and praise these institutions, or it can challenge or criticize them.  Either way, journalism provides valuable information, information which influences the behavior and beliefs of many people.  Because of these factors, it is undeniably necessary for journalists to put the people first over anything else.  Journalists must have a desire to be the positive, honest force behind the media, the force that seeks to assist, enlighten and educate people.  Journalists have to work to better society by relaying accurate, honest, and true information to the individual.

On the other hand, journalists also have a responsibility to their shareholders.  Journalism can only exist with financial support.  Journalism is, after all, a business, just like any other, and therefore, has monetary requirements that it must fulfill.  Shareholders provide journalists with the tools that they need in order to be able to perform their job.  Without shareholders, journalism simply would not exist.  Therefore, it is important that journalists satisfy the needs and demands of those shareholders so that they can continue to receive funding.  At times, this may mean sacrificing that needs of the public.  It may mean going against the loyalty and responsibility journalists have to the citizens.

Achieving a balance between the two is obviously the best option.  Placating the shareholders as much as possible to preserve the business of journalism, while still striving to present true and useful information to the public is what a good journalist strives to do.

The recent upsurge of social media such as Facebook, Twiiter, Blogs, YouTube etc. has led to questions regarding what journalism is and who journalists are.
I think that journalism is the practice of observing, researching, organizing and then presenting news to the masses.   A journalist then, is someone who sees, experiences, or investigates some current news, and then conveys that to other people.  I do not think that you have to have a degree in order to be considered a journalist.  I think that normal, everyday people who blog or face book or tweet responsibly and intelligently about current events are journalists because they are communicating valuable information to the world.  The situation with social media in  northern Africa is a prime example.  I think that Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogging have been the powerful forces behind the success of the revolutions that have taken place. They provided a way to spread the news of the rebellions, which inspired others in surrounding areas to join in. I think that it was because of new media that the small protesting turned into a large-scale revolution. In addition, new media sources provided the world with information about the rebellion that the government was desperately trying to hide. Without the media, the rest of the world would have had no idea what was happening.  I think that the government would have been able to smother the protesters and regain control. However, because of the media, information about the violence was communicated and spread throughout the world, causing outrage and anger. The government had no choice but to step down and flee once so many people began banding together against them.
I think that sites such as Twitter and Facebook have incredible influence and power because the messages they contain are created by the individual, but are communicated to the masses. Never before has there been a way for normal, average people to express their opinions and emotions, and communicate them so fully and immediately to the rest of the world.  In this way, I think that new social media can be considered journalism, and the people that create them, journalists.

Truth in journalism is definitely a combination of both facts and context.  It is the responsibility of a journalist to present information as accurately as possible.  This requires the facts to be intensively researched, and context to be fully accounted for.  Truth in journalism is all about being clear and upfront.  It is about presenting the most complete and correct information possible at the given time.  I think that journalists have an especially important obligation to be honest because they are the ones that are informing the public of current news and events.  People trust journalism and expect integrity and validity.

 

Journalism

What is journalism?  Who is a journalist?


Journalism is a method of communicating current news and ideas to the public.  A journalist is someone who informs society of what is occurring throughout the world.

Ideally, journalists have integrity, and a desire to present honest and true information to the public.  They want people to be educated and aware, and therefore, they do not attempt to mislead.

Journalism can be objective or subjective, depending on the individual journalist and the subject they are addressing.  Journalists may report what is happening without adding their own opinions or interpretations.  They simply state the facts and let the audience draw their own conclusions.  Journalists can also discuss information in a specific way in order to get a particular message across to the audience.  Persuasive or analytical techniques can be employed to make statements about certain issues.  Journalists may have strong feelings or opinions on various topics, and can influence their audiences to share those viewpoints.  

Journalism can raise awareness and draw attention to lesser known issues.  It can also provide alternate perspectives on more prominently known issues.  Journalism challenges people to become more educated and open-minded, and encourages them to improve the world around them.