Why Is Journalism Important? Essay

Clay Shirky who wrote Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable (1993) argues that society doesn’t need newspapers society needs journalism to save society. Shirky supports this argument by giving a historical background to the problems newspapers face and how the problems have developed over time and the solutions society has came up with. The blogger concludes that in order for journalism to go farther new models must be created in place of past molds. Shirky directs this blog toward the current and future generations in attempt to motivate new models and methods of journalism.

Consequently, the political sphere is now being colonised by the media, and politics has begun re-orientating itself to satisfy the logic of media organisations (Meyer, 2002, p. 71). Therefore, the media are active participants in the policymaking process and the ability to stimulate change or maintain the status quo depends on their choice of subject or policy issue and how they frame it. Active investigative reporting attempts to shape policy outcomes, but this does not necessarily mean that it always represents the most successful approach for gaining policy changes (Spitzer, 1993, p. 7). In fact, sometimes passive, straight reporting can have a greater influence on policy choices. When this occurs, media independence is largely bypassed, as the news generated depends solely on the information released (as public relations material) from legitimate news sources. For example, in the United States, White House staff routinely make ‘leaks’ - expressively to influence policy decisions (Davis, 1992, p. 143; Robinson, 2001, p. 948). Robinson noted that journalists regard “leaks… as indispensable to their work” and that they are aware of their use by officials in return for scoops (2001, p. 949).

The purpose of this report is to analyse journalism practices employed in newspaper reporting across different outlets and to analyse if the practice was in line with the media

Newspapers and other forms of news are very vital communication methods in the world today. The goal of news is to sell us their ideas by being biased and talking about how their idea is best. News can give us biased information although, the viewer could do further research on the

Due to the results of the Leveson inquiry, much has changed for the ways in which the British Press must work within the parameters of Media law. The inquiry has left much of the public untrusting and suspicious of journalism as a practice, and after the publishing of Leveson’s report, it is as though they are just waiting for another slip-up by media institutions.

Ever since the 17th century, the newspaper has been produced and blown out of proportion, known as mass media. George A. Krimsky shines his own opinion in his essay, “The Role of the Media in a Democracy.” Krimsky provides many examples, reasoning, and rhetoric devices to expand his argument even more, his argument being that; the press should send out straight facts, let people interpret them, and allow the free press to hold the government accountable.

Journalists are very important in providing objective views of the world as a way to uncover justice. Journalists are the storytellers who represent the people whose stories are not always heard. Journalists, particularly those during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, were crucial in showing how daily life was in America’s cities.

The media influences how people experience social life. Media such as newspaper, television and film, are important sources of information, education and entertainment. It can be used to learn more about the world and the people in it. In this regard it can be said that the media represent, interpret and endorse aspects of social experience (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2005). The media are also implicated in social regulation, or in other terms, the government of society. The media are implicated in government and politics in an obvious way because modern systems of democracy are conducted through the media. But the media have a bigger role to play in government by structuring how society is controlled and maintained.

“The media are a primary source of those pictures in our heads about the larger world of public affairs, a world that for most citizens is ‘out of reach, out sight, out of mind’ and what we know about the world is largely based on what the media decide to tell us” (McCombs).

Since January 2001, the total circulation of the UK 's ten major national newspapers has declined . It could be said that the press choose to slander politicians to gain attention from the public to push sales, rather than inform the public on the real political issues at hand. For example, women’s magazines discuss political issues such as abortion and the “tampon tax”, rather than commercial newspapers that publish stories such as scrutinizing politician Jeremy Corbyn for his “subtle head nod” at the remembrance Sunday cenotaph. In a declining market for their product, newspaper titles battle against each other for audiences and advertising revenue in their respective market segments, while the press as a whole is engaged in competition with other media sectors, such as the news via the internet, which makes it easier for the public to instantly engage with

It is without a doubt that the Globalisation of the media has increased our access to information about people and events around the world. However, during the process it has also shifted issues on what should or should not be in the public domain due to media ownership led by Western media corporations. The media shape is reconstructing itself, forming a singular global body playing an essential part in our democracy socially, politically, economically and culturally. Due to this, the effects of globalisation towards Journalism have become very debatable to whether it is benefiting the practice of journalism or hindering it. During the course of this essay, it will explore the affect globalisation has on the media (especially journalism), the affect of media ownership and how new technologies have influenced journalism.

Does political journalism in the UK adequately serve the needs of a democratic political system?

Without the media, how would the citizens be able to hold the government to account for their actions? A fair and just society is built by transparency and accountability of the leaders. The media serve to promote this, by acting as a witness of government actions. Politicians make decisions and take action on behalf of the public. Journalists analyse those decisions and give reports of the consequences to the public.

In a contemporary society, the role of journalism is a varied one that covers many different aspects of people’s lives. As more and more outlets spring up around the world, many more stories are able to be covered by different outlets, and this means that journalism takes on a more and more important role in a contemporary society. Much of our lives centre on political and social happenings, and journalistic outlets are the public’s way of finding all the information on these event. Journalism also provides us with a way of finding out which of these stories are important and deserve our attention, and which stories can be ignored. The important role of journalism can be well observed in the recent coverage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) in both New Zealand and around the world. This is a ground breaking economic deal, and holds a great deal of importance for the 800 million citizens of the countries involved, as well as the rest of the world. With worldwide coverage of this deal, it is inevitable that different types of reporting occurs, and that different outlets will provide different accounts. With so many different journalism outlets around the world and locally, many have to have a way of standing out from the crowd. This means that some extremely different coverage of very similar stories can occur. However it can also simply be down to different ownership, differing political views, and different socio-economic environments. Two outlets with

Media is one of the key areas where power is exercised, reinforced, contested and very influent in the political, social, and economic fields. This statement that has been discussed in the previous lectures clearly relates to the message that comes across from Brian Knappenberger's documentary of Nobody Speak: The Trial of Free Press. Throughout the documentary, it is argued that those who have influential backgrounds, or have "deep pockets" are capable of buying their way out of scandals, and concealing facts and their truths in front of media. A publisher and reporter's duty to the public eye is to report and reveal the truth about the world around them without hiding anything from them. As David Folkenflik mentioned, during Hulk Hogan's case, "without the backing of some wealthy billionaire, there is little of what an independent publisher [of media] can do." Media is an