We've been reading and discussing in my journalist what it means to be a journalist, what we stand for, and trends in journalism. I thought I'd post about it, since that was the whole reason this blog's creation was mandated.
Journalists exist to provide the public with the information it needs to be self-governing. That to me is a very noble, lofty goal as well as a tremendous responsibility. We have to cater to an interlocking public, so we have to make sure we keep the public interested, otherwise they won't read--not that they do as much as perhaps they ought to.
Now, I do not mind one little bit if people get their news from off of the internet, I don't care where people become informed about what is going on around them. We learned in class that News is, more and more now, going to come from profitable fronts as companies try to cut costs--that's fine. I would never suggest we throw money away on something unprofitable to the public or ourselves.
My only wish is for a public that was more informed, more eager to be properly informed. I wish that people were media-literate enough to pick out how reliable their information is--or isn't--and realized that without a free press they could be led about by any domineering government in power. I don't think we realize how blessed we are to live in a free country with a free press because that is all we've ever known. Most Americans are descendents of people who have been here long enough that they never heard a grandfather's story of the tyranny of the old country, have never known a place without something like the first ammendment. They do not have the slightest idea how valuable freedom of information is, so they don't care. It is just there, like their slippers or toothpaste or that odd shape in the stucco of the ceiling. They know it's there, often they use it, but they don't appreciate it and can hardly imagine what life would be like without it.
Sorry, bit of a rant there, but that is how I feel and I am comitted to truth.
I think that news consolidation is getting a wee bit out of hand--we need convenience and versatility in reporting and information sharing as well as truth and having the power of information in the hands of so few could be dangerous. That's what is quite nice about the blogger as a journalist--many of us do it for fun and aren't payed to promote an agenda. However, I also believe that if a blogger attempts to write journalism , they should try to do it in a journalistic fashion, separating clearly what is fact and what is opinion. I honestly think that the public should care more about news, maybe actually buy a paper and read the whole thing to keep themselves informed? Surely this would not be too much to ask. Our grandparents are more likely than us to read a physical newspaper, they are also more likely than us to vote. Is anyone else seeing what I see here?
The group that taught our first reading in class yesterday presented the information well--I understood them very well and what they said resonated--the Glenn Beck impression Garrett had Daniel do was sort of funny. Not that I enjoy making fun of Glenn Beck. He's a passionate Patriot, and I am too.
This has been heavily laden with feeling because it is what I feel about what I have learned. Maybe I am a little over-passionate, but this is what I want to do with my life and itt means a lot to me. Maybe it's because I like to write, or read, or because I am a naturally inquisitive person, but it is what I want to do.
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