Journalism and Faith

Before group 10 presented on journalism and faith, I would have never put those two words together in the same sentence. Journalism is the collection and distribution of news and its effects. Faith is confidence or trust in a person/thing or a religious belief. Group 10 specifically addressed religion's role in journalism. I did not think it played much of a role until I began to think about objectivity. I believe almost everything we discuss about journalism can point back to objectivity. Generally, people are raised with certain beliefs or develop beliefs as they become adults. Often, we are taught by our parents what they believe and are encouraged to follow their beliefs, at least until we form our own. Having this background definitely affects our perceptions on how we view the world. The absence of beliefs or religion would also affect one's perceptions. It is unavoidable. That being said, in my opinion, transparency is key. If a journalist's readers know what his or her background and beliefs are, they can understand why the journalist reported on the story in the way he or she did. Some journalists may argue that this is a personal issue and none of anyone's business. However, I believe readers have a right to know if a journalist's reported stories might be skewed for whatever reason. Granted, news organizations need to be careful not to discriminate against religion when hiring journalists.

Journalism as Ideologue (Watchdog Journalism)

Watchdog journalism falls under the element of journalism that states, "journalism must serve as an independent monitor of power." News media is considered the 4th estate for its duty as a watchdog on the other branches of government. Investigative reporting epitomizes what watchdog journalism is about- "deeply investigating a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political wrongdoing, or corruption."

Undoubtedly, the most well-known investigative reporting was the Watergate story which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The Republican party orchestrated a wiretap of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. When word leaked about the story by The Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the Nixon administration tried to coverup what they had done. Only because of investigative reporting, the facts were published.

The watchdog role of journalism has weakened over time as conglomerates have gained more and more power. Despite having news programs dedicated to being "watch dogs," most of these programs do not monitor the powerful elite. The news programmers do not want to jeopardize their jobs. For example, the Walt Disney Corporation (Disney) owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network, as well as, cable television networks like Disney Channel, ESPN and ABC Family. It would be tough for a reporter from ABC NEWS to cover a story lead involving a scandal at Disney.

Independence in Journalism

Journalists must maintain an independence from those they cover. This directly relates to objectivity. Journalists cannot fulfill their role unless they have independence. Sure you can get the full story if you are experiencing what you are writing about. However, if you are not independent then you have a biased view when reporting. This is general knowledge in the news world. We can find evidence of this in the news this past week. NPR host, Michele Norris, stepped down as her husband joined Obama campaign. Her husband, Broderick Johnson the new senior advisor. Norris says, "she will rescue herself from all election coverage but will continue reporting for NPR on other subjects. She steps down as host at the end of next week" according to Fox News. People should admire Michele Norris for not concealing the role of her husband in Obama's campaign. Others have not taken the higher road in the past. Many journalists have written speeches for political figures and then praised them afterwards. One such example is William Kristol who commented on a speech given by John McCain when he in fact wrote the speech. Why can't people just be more transparent? Independence is one of the elements of journalism. Practice what you preach!

Verification

No one can argue against the importance of verification in journalism. Verification is how stories are corroborated. Verification is how we find the truth. Oftentimes sources have their own agenda. With verification, journalists can weed out the misinformation. Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel state in their book Elements of Journalism that verification is the "beating heart of credible journalism in the public interest." There are several threats to verification in the journalism industry. Two of which are the pressure to publish news immediately (while it's still news) and the pressure to publish news that is already "out there." Both of these threats go directly against verification. One example of a verification dilemma could be when journalists encounter news of a story from a source that wants to be kept anonymous. This story may be hot news of a scandal in the White House. The source says you cannot use his name with the story. However, there are no other people that can corroborate what he is saying. What do you do? Granted, journalists are encouraged to verify all of their sources before publishing. This may mean that you can't run the story. Doesn't the public have a right to know what is going on? Should you simply run the story without any source? Journalists need to cover their bases. What if the source has a separate agenda other than the truth? What if he is trying to sabotage a government official and you help him do it? Journalism can be a sticky situation when it comes down to verification. My conclusion is better safe than sorry.

The Profession

The profession or the priesthood of journalists? In the Mind of a Journalist, Jim Willis writes "Journalists see journalism as a kind of professional priesthood in which they, much like the clergy or even police officers, surrender to the higher calling of serving others." I think the term priesthood is far too spiritual of a term to use for journalists. Priesthood denotes serving others in behalf of God. It denotes authority. Journalists are not inextricably linked to holiness where they are called on by a higher source to serve others. Journalism is a career. It is a job. Journalists have a duty to report news, to be the fourth estate providing checks and balances, to serve their audience. They do not act in behalf of God. Journalists' duty is not a sacred duty, it is simply an important duty. I can understand how people want to distinguish their careers as something they are not. Perhaps it provides them with something to talk about at the bar. Instead of speaking of journalists' priesthood duty, let's focus on their professional duty. Willis states further, "The media provides counterbalances and checks on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of American government." Journalists allow us to stay close to what each of the branches are doing. Spreading news prevents any branch from becoming too powerful. Through the news, citizens can unite together easier. People can know what is going on and incite change where needed. Journalists' duty to report the news should not be taken likely. However, to say there is a priesthood of journalists would be overreaching.

Pew Media Study

Despite popular opinion that Americans get most of their news from the television, Pew Research Center recently released research findings that suggest we should not discount local newspapers, Web sites, and even word of mouth as news mediums.

Pew's media study found that television used primarily to get information about the weather, traffic, and breaking news. Newspapers and their Web sites were used for getting information on a wide variety of other topics from local government updates to crime reports. The study also found that word of mouth (through text messages/twitter posts) is the second most common means of news distribution on the local level.

These findings were a compilation of over 2,000 adults that were surveyed.

I would agree with the findings of this study. If I were asked where I got most news from, initially I would think from the television. However, upon closer observation, I would say that word of mouth is one of my bigger news mediums. I often here people talking about "breaking news" in my classes. I inquire about what they are discussing because I am unaware of the news. After class, I often research the topic further on the Internet. I would imagine I am not the only one that uses this same method of discovering news.

Journalism and Loyalty

A conflict of interest can often lead to detrimental consequences for those involved. For instance, in the legal profession you would not have the same attorney represent the plaintiff and the defendant. There would clearly be a conflict of interest. The attorney would not be able to unbiasedly represent either client. The attorney may also be tempted to push an agreement through that would have the biggest payout for his firm. Luckily in the legal profession, the duty of loyalty to the client prohibits an attorney from representing any other party whose interests conflict with those of a current client. Conflicts of interest cannot always be avoided. In journalism, situations can arise which cause a conflict of interest. Journalists have a loyalty to their company who employs them, as well as, a loyalty to citizens. For example, if you work for ABC News and you discover a disheartening story about Disney should you refrain from covering it because Disney owns your news organization? The journalism industry would say no, you should report the story. Your first loyalty is to your audience. Almost all news organizations have a code of ethics which includes the importance of delivering truth to the audience. This can be hard if you feel your job is at stake. As journalists we have to make a commitment that no matter whether we lose our job or not, we will pursue the truth and deliver it. Journalists can only operate if people trust what they write. Once you lose your credibility, it is tough to regain. Each journalist's actions reflect on the newspaper as a whole.