The Profession of Journalism

In my Communications 239 class, we discussed the profession of journalism and the effects and influences it has on society.

Journalists have been labeled as all alone. This is partly true because in order to be an effective journalist, one cannot get too attached to their sources. If a journalist becomes too attached to a source, their perception may become skewed. But a journalist must also become close enough to a source to produce the passion and energy necessary to produce a qualified article that make people want to read it. In class, the presenting group used the example of Anderson Cooper and how he got too close to the victims of Hurricane Katrina; and that he no longer reported why it was happening, but that the victims needed help. Cooper is popular because he does get deeply involved, but he needs to draw the line somewhere. Here is a clip of Anderson Cooper being completely emotional and angry at a Louisiana senator on CNN over the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsuRCXiYGO4

Another aspect of the profession of journalism we talked about in class is that Journalists have an underlining bias from their personal world view. I know that I am. Because I have been raised in Orem, Utah, I think completely differently than others from other states and countries. http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=1867. This article is from the Columbia University Press and explains that white men and their worldview dominate the media and unfairly represent women’s worldviews. Although I do not fully believe this argument, I do believe that the media needs a diversity of people with different backgrounds to balance the worldview output for society.   

In class, we talked about the controversy of keeping sources confident. Judith Miller, a New York Times writer, kept her source confidential. Because of this, she had legal issues. Here is a fascinating interview with Miller, her lawyer, and others discussing this issue at more depth. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/1158