Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unit - I
Unit - I
Q. What is journalism?
Journalism is a form of writing that tells people about things that really happened
but that they might not have known about already. It is the activity of gathering,
assessing, creating and presenting news and information. It is also the product of
these activities. The words 'journalist ‘, 'journal ‘and 'journalism ‘are derived
from the French 'journal‘, which in turn comes from the Latin term 'diurnalis‘or
'daily‘.
Journalism is the speculation and coverage of Incidents, Issues and current trends
happening in society towards a broad audience. The term connotes it’s meaning
in various senses but the actual comprehension lies in its objective to inform the
targeted audience about the issues ranging from Government and business
organizations to cultural perspectives of society like arts and entertainment. It
encompasses editing, photo journalism, documentary, etc.
Journalism can be distinguished from other activities and products by certain
identifiable characteristics and practices. These Elements not only separate
journalism from other forms of communication, they are what make it
indispensable to democratic societies. history reveals that the more democratic a
society, the more news and information it tends to have. In the contemporary
society, news media have attained major supplier of information and opinion
about public affairs.
The role and recognition of Journalism is experiencing changes because of the
increasing importance of internet. More shifts have been inclined towards E-
readers, smart phones and other electronic gadgets rather than focusing on print
media.
Journalism provides people with verified information which they can use to make
better decisions and its practices, the most important of which is a systematic
process “a discipline of verification” that journalist use to find not just the facts
but also the truth about the facts.
Journalism is the collection and editing of news for presentation through the
media, public press or academic study concerned with the collection and editing
of news, or the management of any news channel. It is any sort of writing drafted
for publication in a newspaper or magazine.
Various misconceptions:
1. It is not the medium or channel.
2. It does not require Any professional degree or training for its pure and
accurate deliverance.
3. Journalism is not bonded to any news organization.
Journalism is about telling and covering stories in an accurate and factual manner.
It is making the people understand the world around them through a
communication channel. It is more about going beyond the facts of the story to
find out the truth and present an unbiased picture. It incorporates public trust
within itself and attempts to speculate and expose the wrong-doings. It adds
meaning and strength to the facts. It is the part of the community, hence is a
universal reaction of citizenship.
Values of journalism
There are several predominant constituents of journalism that every journalist is
expected to follow:
1. The content should always be based on true facts. Truth and honesty are
the major beliefs of journalism.
2. A thorough allegiance to its citizens.
3. Everything should be verified.
4. The journalist should be independent and not obliged to anyone while
delivering the news.
5. Journalism should be an autonomous sphere without any supervision of
authority.
6. It should act as a platform for public criticism and compromise.
7. It should keep the news simple, understandable and comparative.
8. The journalist should be permitted to practice their personal conscious.
Nature of journalism
Observing the true functioning of journalism:
Journalism emphasizes on researching and covering proceedings, concerns and
tendencies. An honest and accountable journalism is the base of an autonomous
and liberal media that forms the pillar of strength in a democratic society. It has
a broader sense of understanding its activities are, not just limited to reporting.
Liaison Element:
The nature and extent of journalism has always been a contentious issue. It is the
most important connection between the public and the policy makers. It helps the
public in all the crucial matters affecting their life. It informs them about the
decision taken by the policy makers and also helps them to comprehend the
complicated issues.
Purpose of journalism
The purpose of journalism writes Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in the elements
of journalism, “is not defined by technology nor by journalist or the techniques
they employ. rather the principles and purpose of journalism are defined by
something more basic: the function that news plays in the lives of people.”
News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing
events, issues and characters in the outside world. Though it may be interesting
or even entertaining, the foremost of news is as a utility to empower the informed.
The purpose of journalism is thus to provide citizens with the information they
need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their
societies and their governments.
Objectives of journalism
Offering knowledgeable information to the public:
Many publications are interested in delivering information that is relevant to
public knowledge. Good news generally includes publishing stories that are more
informative.
Provide an honest description of news:
The media has always been alleged of delivering Biasness in news. Many
journalists hold the belief that if a publication is being lambasted for being liberal
by some and conservative by others, thus denoting two different points then it is
doing a good work. Hence every work needs to be reliable and objective in
content with accurate, balanced and informed facts.
Courage:
The major principle of journalism is objectivity that every journalist should
always strive to attain. This requires that the journalist should possess courage to
attempt to be objective. This means, the courage to be impartial and without
prejudice in delivering news.
Predicaments of journalism
Prejudiced exposure and treatment: It relate to partiality in treating the news
relating to politics, business and other spheres.
Intervention policy: To sell their news and gain publicity, the journalist pursues
the public figure and overrun their solitude.
Dealing with issues related to national security: Many reporters tend to get
confused in the matters of national and security issues as what to report and to
what extent.
Public decorum and morals: Different kinds of people have different cultures and
various acceptance levels hence; a journalist should keep in mind the concerns of
the communities and should demarcate the controversial issues.
Elements of journalism
In their book “The elements of journalism”, Bill Kovich and Tom Rosenstiel
identified the essential elements, principles and practices of journalism as
follows:
1. Journalisms first obligation: the truth:
a. Good decision making depends on people having reliable, accurate facts
put in a meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in an
absolute or philosophical sense but in a capacity that is more down to
earth.
b. Journalistic truth is a process that begins with the professional discipline
of assembling and verifying facts. Journalist then try to convey a fair
and reliable account of their meaning, subject to further investigation.
c. Journalist should be as transparent as possible about the sources and
methods so audiences can make their own assessment of the
information. Even in a world of expanding voices, “getting it right” is
the foundation upon which everything else is built – context,
interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis, debate, etc. The larger
truth, overtime, emerges from this forum.
d. As citizens encounter an ever-greater flow of data, they have more need
– not less – for suppliers of information dedicated to finding and
verifying the news and putting it in context.
Functions of journalism
Inform: The fundamental and foremost function is to keep its citizens informed
and abreast about latest developments in various dimensions of the globe.
Educate: Journalism also entails the duty of educating its citizens by offering
them a variety of information on varied subjects.
Interpret: Another important function is to present its citizens not only the reports
on current happenings but also their conclusion and implications.
Entertain: The profession also undertakes to keep its citizens emotionally robust
by feeding them with soft, loveable and relishing stuff.
Enable decision making: Journalism abridges the gap between the policy makers
and the public. Because it is the voice of people, it carries public opinions and
sentiments to the government thereby facilitating decision making.
Agent of change: The profession is the redeemer from the oppressions of the
ruling classes. It is aimed at bringing harmony in the society. It also voices out to
bring favorable changes in the society.
Q. Who is a journalist?
“Journalist has a position that is all his own. He alone has the privilege of molding
the opinion, touching the hearts and appealing to the reason of hundreds of
thousands every day. Here is the most fascinating of all professions.” – Joseph
Pulitzer.
A journalist is one who contributes in someway to the gathering, selection and
processing of news and current affairs. He is a professional writer, who informs
and educates people about the happenings to make them aware and informed. A
journalist faces various accountabilities and responsibilities while presenting his
writings to the public. They need to pursue standard of conduct and morals in
delivering their duties regarding the working of mass media and should also
consider the effects of the medium it uses.
Responsibilities of a journalist
Social responsibility:
The press is the mirror of our society. It provides the society with various
important events making them aware and informed. Thus the manner in which
the information is provided is to be provided by the journalist matters the most.
It has to be just, impartial, balanced and inspiring to lay an effective impact on
the people as common consumers of news. The journalist should also bring the
covert areas into notice. He should highlight the unresolved issues of the society
through the power of journalism, He should initiate an environment of
understanding within the society and to perpetuate the same atmosphere in a
sustained manner. Development of any society depends on the imparting of
creative and objective journalistic activities.
Professional responsibility:
A Journalist should always have a deep sense of commitment and sincerity
towards the profession. The information should be delivered to the audience in a
clear and transparent way. The presentation of information should be honest and
unbiased in character. A journalist possesses the professional responsibility to
present accurate and exact information through portraying the incidents in an
actual manner rather than with the intention of gaining publicity.
Legal responsibility:
As a journalist, one must be aware of all the legal implications, which may
generate trouble. He must not intervene or inflict to someone’s privacy or
confidentiality. He must be aware of the law of slander (harmful statement in
transitory form especially speech) and libel (by written or printed words, pictures
or in any other form). A journalist must understand their legal responsibilities
before delivering the information.
Ethical responsibility:
The journalist is entitled to follow a code of ethics, so that he does not cross his
limits and realizes the restrictions of the society. He is accounted to provide
meaningful information to the society that is very balanced rather than too
influential and objective to gain bias or sensitise the audience.
Other responsibilities:
1. Towards the Firm/Organisation: Journalists working for private sector
firms or public sector agencies are responsible to their respective firms and
organisations. They must remain loyal to their employers. They must not
give news or information to the competitors of their firms for the sake of
money, materialistic assets, or other favours. Loyalty towards one’s
organisation determines the success in that organisation.
2. Gathering News or Data: Journalists must collect the data or news from the
place/spot from where they are supposed to collect it. They should rely
more on primary data and not secondary data. The latter could be biased.
Primary data must be collected personally. People must be interviewed at
the spot of the event, accident or mishap. Possible statistics released by the
government should be taken into consideration, but the journalist must rely
on his own judgement and inquisitive mind to collect vital data.
3. Getting News and Views from the Competition: The journalist should keep
on reading newspapers or magazines of the competitors of his
firm/organisation. He would be able to get an idea about what other
journalists are doing. He should not indulge in plagiarism. He must remain
alert to the moves of the competitors but should not offend other journalists
in the process.
4. Responsibility Towards the Reader and Society: As a news reporter, you
have a duty to provide accurate, unbiased and objective information to the
reader. A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public opinion
and society as a whole
5. the government should be taken into consideration, but the journalist must
rely on his own judgement and inquisitive mind to collect vital data.
6. Getting News and Views from the Competition: The journalist should keep
on reading newspapers or magazines of the competitors of his
firm/organization. He would be able to get an idea about what other
journalists are doing. He should not indulge in plagiarism. He must remain
alert to the moves of the competitors but should not offend other journalists
in the process.
7. Responsibility Towards the Reader and Society: As a news reporter, you
have a duty to provide accurate, unbiased and objective information to the
reader. A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public opinion
and society as a whole.
History
With high quality cameras and the fastest internet facilities, citizen journalism
has become easier today. But it all started with 727 citizens in South Korea being
dissatisfied with the traditional media and their reporting, the Korean
entrepreneur, Oh Yeon Ho’s declared that “everybody is a reporter” in the year
2000. Unable to bear the cost of hiring reporters for a professional news medium,
‘OhmyNews’ a news website was started. On this website any person could write
and report the news. Gradually the count of the citizen reporters and the news
started to increase and it was noted that the reporters count touched to around 50k
in 2007. Citizen journalist from around 100 countries reported. Later this practice
was brought into existence in every country which had the growth of internet.
Citizen journalism is continuing to contribute to the aspect of receiving info from
every corner of the world.
Elements of news
The qualifications or elements of news have been interpreted vividly by writers.
The intrinsic features are:
Conflict (tension, surprise): Most conflicts are news worthy to some degree.
Physical conflict is considered newsworthy because it may lead to injury or
damage. Violence arouses emotions, not only in the participants but also in the
spectators and can be of enormous and immediate importance. Wars, murders and
violent strikes are conflict of a more destructive nature and always receives space
on the front page, which leaves critics to complain that newspapers devote too
much space to violence.
Progress (triumph, Achievement): In conflict, one side usually wins and the other
loses. For the routine struggles in life, not generally newsworthy in themselves,
shining successes frequently emerge. Example, new inventions from remote
laboratory, new advances in science and medicine, new devices to improve
quality of life, etc.
Prominence
The prominence also determines the magnitude of the story. A famous personality
undertaking any usual activity takes prominence and is covered by the
newspapers while a common man doing the same thing does not usually account
for news unless they achieve something big.
Impact
Impact of an event decides its newsworthiness. It depends upon the scale of the
event where it occurred.
Usefulness
News items help the public in various ways like issuing warnings against weather,
newspapers giving contact details in case of emergencies, etc.
What is hard and soft news?
News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current events,
public figures, ongoing projects, issues, etc. but newspapers publish more than
just the news of the day. They also provide background analysis opinions and
human-interest stories. The most pertinent classification of news is:
❖ Soft news: This is a term for news that is not necessarily time sensitive.
Soft news is the lighter stuff like features, human interest stories, news of
engagements and weddings, leisure activities, entertainment, etc. The less
important happenings of the day maybe published or left out by a
newspaper depending upon the space available on different pages. Soft
news can be delayed if something more important of hard news value
comes up. Soft news doesn’t have a date value in most of the cases because
it deals with the lighter side of life.
Knowing the difference between hard and soft news helps to develop a sense of
how news is covered and what sort of stories different news media tend to publish
or broadcast. One difference between hard and soft news is the tone of
presentation. Hard news focuses on questions like how, who, where and when,
whereas soft news deals with a relaxed approach.
Q. Differentiate news, articles, features and backgrounders?
Article
❖ An article is an elaborate piece of composition written on some broad subject,
well documented and expresses the opinion of the writer who has studied the
subject in all its aspects.
❖ Unlike features, the subject of article is not very narrow, specific or minute.
The article is generally written in a sober style, and the subject matter is
treated in a scholarly manner.
❖ It is a piece of writing usually intended for publication in a newspaper
magazine or journal.
❖ It is written for a wide audience, so it is essential to attract and retain the
reader’s attention.
❖ It may include amusing stories, reported speech or description.
❖ It should give opinions and thoughts as well as facts in a formal style.
❖ It can be formal or informal depending on the target audience.
❖ An article can describe an experience, event, person and place, present and
opinion or balanced argument, compare and contrast, provide information,
offer suggestion or advice, etc.
❖ It should contain an eye-catching title which attracts the reader’s attention
and suggest the theme of the article.
❖ An article is an introduction which clearly defines the topic to be covered.
❖ An article has a main body of 2-5 paragraphs in which the topic is further
developed in detail.
❖ Before writing an article, we have to consider where the article is going to
appear; who are going to be the intended readers and what is the aim of the
article.
❖ Style, language and level of formality are the deciding factors of an article.
❖ Over personal or Overemotional language should be avoided whereas linking
words and expressions and a variety of vocabulary make an article more
attractive.
Feature
❖ Both article and feature are considered as non-news forms of writing.
❖ A feature goes much beyond the scope of the news story.
❖ A feature examines and dissects news and throws light at different aspects.
❖ It tries to explore the background, probes in-depth an idea or an event.
❖ Feature is not just a narration of facts. The purpose is to inform and entertain
and arouse curiosity, sympathy, humour and other feelings amongst the
readers.
❖ A feature writer reacts to the people, situations, events and places and
provides a colourful background and explanatory matter to his feature story.
His scope is much wider than news writing.
❖ A feature writer would probe deeper into some aspects which are not taken
care of in the news.
❖ A feature is like a window into the human experience, giving more detail and
description than a hard news story, which typically relies on the inverted
pyramid style of writing.
❖ Features focus on event or individual, giving the reader a chance to fully
understand some interesting dimension of that subject.
❖ A feature is called the hybrid of the world of journalism – it is like a report
because it’s based on facts; it is like a story because it has action and style; it
is like an advertisement because it has a sales appeal. It is an umbrella term
for a large number of soft news that adds colour, entertains or illuminates the
readers.
❖ It is generally a news recap but with lots of new information of which the
reader has been ignorant about. It gives the background to the news with
explanations, analysis and viewpoints. They are colourful pieces that deal
with real happenings, innovations, trend issues and processes or placing an
emphasis on the people involved. Feature can be written on any topic
provided it has an element of human interest.
❖ Feature stories are human interest articles that focus on particular people,
places, events or incidents.
❖ Feature stories are journalistic, researched, descriptive, colourful, thoughtful,
reflective or a thorough writing about original ideas.
❖ Feature stories cover topics in depth, going further than mere hard news
coverage by amplifying and explaining the most interesting and important
elements of a situation or occurrence.
❖ Writers of feature have the space and time to evoke imagery in their stories
and fill in details of the circumstances and the atmosphere.
❖ A feature story is not meant to report the latest breaking news but rather an
in-depth look at a subject.
❖ Feature articles range from the news feature that provides background to a
current hard news story to a relatively timeless story that has natural human
interest.
❖ Features are generally longer than hard news articles because it penetrates
deeper into its subjects, expanding on the details rather then trying to
concentrate on a few important key points.
❖ In a feature story the writer sometimes postpone the main point until the end,
which means that the whole story does not have to be incapsulated in the
lead.
❖ Types of features:
i. News features: Also called news follow-ups, news in-depth or news
behind news.
ii. Personality features
iii. Experience features
iv. Photo features
v. Human interest features
vi. Historical features
vii. Seasonal features
viii. Behind the scenes features
Essential of features
❖ Explain: what is happening?
❖ Expand: on a news item an official statement.
❖ Explore: ideas, new concept.
❖ Investigate: issues, social problems, scandals, etc.
❖ Describe: events large and small, places, experiences, journeys, people, etc.
❖ Entertain: with humor or colorful descriptions.
❖ Campaign: for the rights, improvement of human conditions.
❖ Comment: usually in the form of column.
News
❖ News story deals with recent and current events. It is a perishable
commodity.
❖ News story has to meet certain deadlines.
❖ Brevity is the soul of news writing. News story has not such scope for
subsidiary or background material.
❖ News is an objective and factual account of events where the reporter sticks
to facts and tries to answer, as far as possible, the six basic questions which
makes a news story.
❖ The style followed in a news writing is generally an inverted pyramid. It is
concise, terse and related to matter of facts.
❖ It is important in a news story to be able to convey all the important
information in a limited word count.
News backgrounder
❖ It is an article in which they offer the background and details on people or
events which a newspaper might carry hard news or a story about a
particular event on its front page. A backgrounder in the inner pages offers
further insight and explanation on it.
❖ A backgrounder should contain added information and concise
repercussions – How the situation or the event has affected or will effect
people and way. A backgrounder height considers similar events.
1. On the record: In this, people will tell the details openly and allow you to
quote their names and titles. It is always best to get information on the record.
You can remain accurate by using the exact words people say. You can also
make story seem more human by using direct quotes. On the record
comments have an extra level of understanding for people because they know
who is speaking and what was said and basically what was said.
2. Non – Attributable: Sometimes a source will give you the info on the
understanding that you can use the information but not attribute them. This
could be done for several reasons.
3. Off the records: In this the name of the source is not revealed and that you
should not even write about what they tell you. People usually give
information of the record when they want you to understand the background
to something which is too sensitive for them to talk publicly about.
Quotations
A quote is the written form of the words which people have spoken. Occasionally
it will also apply to words they have been written down, perhaps in a book or a
press release. In print journalism, quotes are shown surrounded by quotation
marks, either single (‘) or double ("). These are sometimes called inverted
commas. The alternative to using a quote is to rewrite the sentence into what we
call reported speech.
Byline
The byline on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name of the writer of the
article. Bylines are commonly placed between the headline and the text of the
article, although some magazines place bylines at the bottom of the page to leave
more room for graphical elements around the headline.
The dictionary defines a byline as "a printed line of text accompanying a news
story, article, or the like, giving the author's name."
Credit line
The line that acknowledges the source of a news report, photograph, chart, or
graphics is called the credit line.
A news report may be credited to PTI (Press Trust of India), AP (Associated
Press) or ANI depending on which news service has moved the story.
The moment you see the credit line you know the source of the news report. The
newspapers too are able to differentiate between news reports filed by their
reporters and agency reporters.
Besides giving credit to the rightful source, the credit line also gives newspapers
a fig leaf in case a question is raised about the veracity of the report. The
newspapers can always attribute the blame to the wire service that fed the report.
This way, the credibility of the newspapers stays intact.
News Embargo
In journalism, a news embargo or press embargo is a request or requirement by a
source that the information or news provided by that source may not be published
until a certain date or certain conditions have been met.
The media is given advance knowledge of details being held secret so that reports
can be prepared to coincide with the announcement date and yet still meet press
time. In theory, press embargoes reduce inaccuracy in the reporting of breaking
stories by reducing the incentive for journalists to cut corners by writing up
information quickly in hopes of "scooping" the competition.
The understanding is that if the embargo is broken by reporting before then, the
source will retaliate by restricting access to further information by that journalist
or their publication, giving them a long-term disadvantage relative to more
cooperative outlets. Embargoes are usually arranged in advance as "gentlemen's
agreements." However, sometimes publicists will send embargoed press releases
to newsrooms unsolicited in hopes that they will respect the embargo date without
having first agreed to do so—the phrase "For Immediate Release" often found at
the top of press releases indicates that the information in the release is not
embargoed.
News organizations sometimes break embargoes and report information before
the embargo expires, either accidentally (due to miscommunication in the
newsroom) or intentionally (to get the jump on their competitors). Breaking an
embargo is typically considered a serious breach of trust and can result in the
source barring the offending news outlet from receiving advance information for
a long period of time.
News embargoes are one of several ways a source can influence media
presentation of the information they provide; others include providing
information "on background" or "not for attribution," limiting or providing
"access," or even direct government or market intervention against the reporters
or media company. The manner in which journalists react to these and other
attempts to influence coverage are a matter of journalistic ethics.
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