Jottings Of Journalism

Journalism

British Statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke, called it the Fourth Estate. Oscar Wilde, in his inimitable style, said we are "dominated" by it. Media Baron, Rupert Murdoch, when he was not busy hacking into people's phone-lines, said that its future is more promising than ever. Centuries apart though they might be, these men are all referring to one domain Journalism.

Elements of journalism

While the Merriam-Webster dictionary credibly defines it as (a) the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media (b) the public press (c) an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium, but journalism owes its first loyalty to the citizens, as pointed out by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in their seminal work, The Elements of Journalism. It becomes imperative for anybody looking at the field through scholarly gaze, to turn to the populace for its perspective. When asked for their own definitions of journalism, denizens of a popular micro-blogging site had the following to offer:

Unbiased, in depth reporting. Press does not equal journalism. Journalism is adding layer. meaning, context, not just facts."

Journalism is helping people better understand their community and our world. How to do it? Write like you talk, only better.

Journalism is the art of relaying fact-checked information to an audience"

"Resisting the urge to spin and gossip when telling a story."

It is multi headed

From assisting in conflict situations like Libya, where the National Transitional Council seeks to build a legitimate council and unite the country with the help of the media, to areas struck by natural calamities: from voicing public opinion to actually molding it, from letting the fans of a superstar know all the details of his vanity van to creating superstars overnight; journalism is as multi-headed as the mythical Hydra. We are the inhabitants of a world where information is an inexplicably vital resource. The news media play a crucial role in the production and dissemination of information. The practices, forms and processes of journalism have been undergoing rapid changes, especially with the advent of the internet, and the consequences have considerable impact on contemporary society.

How else would have an Anna Hazare have an entire nation, beggar to baron, sit up and pay attention if it were not for the round-the clock coverage he was accorded on news channels, maintaining the feverish pitch of the anti-corruption drive? The weightiness with which the issue was treated by the media was unprecedented. Along with roping in the TRPs, the media also proved its efficacy in a movement that has been dubbed, by none other than the press itself, the second call for independence.

Journalism is regarded by some as the first rough draft of history, and by some as a nothing more than organised gossip. Whether it be criticised or appreciated, it would take an extremely obtuse mind to deny journalism the importance it commands in the contemporary world. However, a crucial question that must be raised is, in the wake of the News of the World Scandal, how often can the media go unchecked by ethics and integrity?