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Journalism is a form of Activism?

Your thoughts?

The American Press Institute
https://www.americanpressinstitute.o...is-journalism/

Quote:

What is journalism?

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. It is also the product of these activities.

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.

The Elements of Journalism
https://www.americanpressinstitute.o...ts-journalism/

Quote:

Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth

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.

“All truths – even the laws of science – are subject to revision, but we operate by them in the meantime because they are necessary and they work,” Kovach and Rosenstiel write in the book. Journalism, they continue, thus seeks “a practical and functional form of truth.” It is not the truth in the absolute or philosophical or scientific sense but rather a pursuit of “the truths by which we can operate on a day-to-day basis.”

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Its essence is a discipline of verification

Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information.

While there is no standardized code as such, every journalist uses certain methods to assess and test information to “get it right.”

Being impartial or neutral is not a core principal of journalism. Because the journalist must make decisions, he or she is not and cannot be objective. But journalistic methods are objective.

When the concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists were free of bias. It called, rather, for a consistent method of testing information – a transparent approach to evidence – precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of the work. The method is objective, not the journalist.

Seeking out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, or asking various sides for comment, all signal such standards. This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other forms of communication such as propaganda, advertising, fiction, or entertainment.

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It must serve as an independent monitor of power

Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position most affect citizens. It may also offer voice to the voiceless. Being an independent monitor of power means “watching over the powerful few in society on behalf of the many to guard against tyranny,” Kovach and Rosenstiel write.

The watchdog role is often misunderstood, even by journalists, to mean “afflict the comfortable.” While upsetting the applecart may certainly be a result of watchdog journalism, the concept as introduced in the mid-1600s was far less combative. Rather, it sought to redefine the role of the journalist from a passive stenographer to more a curious observer who would “search out and discover the news.”

The watchdog role also means more than simply monitoring government. “The earliest journalists,” write Kovach and Rosenstiel, “firmly established as a core principle their responsibility to examine unseen corners of society. The world they chronicled captured the imagination of a largely uninformed society, creating an immediate and enthusiastic popular following.”

Finally, the purpose of the watchdog extends beyond simply making the management and execution of power transparent, to making known and understood the effects of that power. This includes reporting on successes as well as failures.

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Journalists have an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.

Yes in the USA , not in the UK as much,
it can been seen as Activism

It can be used as a form of activism or to further activism... I'd be hesitant to call it activism in itself. It depends on the journalist. For every activist-journalist, there's another who is very much there to maintain and support the status quo, and two more mercenaries who are primarily concerned with selling a story and nothing more.

I think its very hard for political journalism to not also be activist. Not so much journalists who report on things like sport, fashion, celebrities etc.

There's no "it can be, but not always" option :nono:

The papers are so full of bull that it’s not worth reading.
Not read a paper in decades, even the local rag.

anything can be a platform for activism, the limit is your imagination :shrug:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier (Post 9934651)

There's no "it can be, but not always" option :nono:

Grey area maybe?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bitontheslide (Post 9934715)

anything can be a platform for activism, the limit is your imagination :shrug:

Sure, but I was thinking journalism as a discipline... shouldn't it be about truth seeking? I figure, if a journalist finds a topic and they start the search, they should be open to whatever they find... and they may find things that go completely against their own viewpoint?...

That's why I don't think it really fits activism at the core. However I do think that a journalist may be employed for a certain type of publication, that may be an activist as a platform... but the individual journalist can't be an activist, but they can serve "Enlightenment" goals that bring broader attention to issues/analyses in certain areas for example...

If they're doing it activist first, then they're not going to be a good journalist. Would be like an artist who says they have the recipe for the next great thing that will completely be out of the box and so "out there"... when they don't even know the rules they are breaking. And childish people who are stubborn and think they are better than the "Experts" will say "Well, that's just my style..." etc... rather than to be open to criticism by other peers in that trade...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maru (Post 9935310)

Grey area maybe?

I dunno, I took that more as you could read their stuff and it would be "debatable" whether or not it's activism or not. I was thinking more along the lines of... it's pretty obvious when it IS some form of activism, but not all journalism is activism. :think:

So I guess my answer to the specific po0ll question is "no", thinking about it. Journalism can be used for activism, but it is not in itself a form of activism.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier (Post 9935321)

I notice I have trouble with my polls sometimes. :laugh: I guess I'm making them too broad and maybe I just tend to leave some of it open to the imagination... I guess click the option you feel is more applicable and then explain your answer? It's not an exact science for me. If you feel the discipline has an activism role, then grey means "sometimes" I think (not clear yes/no)... that's sometimes the product of journalism, etc.

No it isn't if there's a slant it could be propaganda but not activism. Reportage of facts should be just that. Who would have an issue with that?