Final Answer Part Cinco

I will always strive to be honest and maintain integrity in every aspect of my journalistic career.
I will always verify facts.
I will always strive to present information as objectively as I can.
I will have an opinion, but always keep an open mind to other views and ideas that contrast with mine.
I will not force my opinion on other people. If I do include opinion in an article, I will be transparent about it and let people know.
I will use wisdom in digitally altering pictures as to not take away or change the original intent of the photograph.
I will accept criticism positively and learn from my mistakes so I can become a better person and journalist.
I will never push my own agenda or anyone else’s agendas on the public.
I will always serve the public and be the mouthpiece for others.

Final Answer Part Cuatro

Our market place today primarily focuses on making a profit. What happens when this becomes applicable to newspapers and television stations? They begin downsizing. People are forced to do more with less. The quality of the news goes down because they start covering news stories that have no significance in anyone’s life, but are entertaining and help with the ratings. The public is not as informed as they should be. People aren’t making well thought out decisions. If this continues and begins to escalate, no one will but a very few people will know what is going on in the United States or the world. Our democracy becomes jeopardized.
So with the people already established in the news industry being let go, what are the future journalists supposed to do? How are we supposed to find a job? How are we supposed to compete with the new technology. Craig’s list wiped out the main source of funding for newspapers. The internet has caused the number of newspapers being bought to drop. Why would people want to pay for a newspaper when you can access it and more articles, pictures, and videos online for free? How are we supposed to survive what seems to be a dying industry?
We adapt. There will always be a need for news. The only difference will be in the model of getting it. I can not simple be a reporter. I must learn everything. I must be a photographer, camerawoman, editor, and news writer. I must learn all the different computer programs and produce a product that is informative, pertinent, and entertaining. I don’t believe newspapers will die out completely. Some people like to have something tangible they can carry around with them. However, I believe it will eventually shift to mostly being on online or a digital product.
A company called E-Ink is working on electronic paper display products. “Products made with E Ink’s revolutionary electronic ink possess a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption, and a thin light form.” I think this is one possibility for the future of newspapers. Change of this nature may sound a bit frightening, but it is also very exciting. It opens doors for new opportunities and possibilities. I would love to have one thin hand held screen that is multi-functional. I can click on different pages without getting ink on my hands. Billions of trees would be saved. Flashing pictures and video streams could be played. I could highlight and bookmark pages I want to come back to. When I am finished reading the paper, I could go back to reading a fun novel or listen to music. The new technology is fascinating. I can see the future of the industry heading this way.

Final Answer Part Tres

What is journalistic truth and how does it differ from reality or absolute truth? For starters, each person has a unique reality. “Truth is pragmatic. We all perceive truth differently. [… ]Truth, then, is not a fantasy or an illusion. It is a pragmatic construction and a reflection of our common experience in the world” (Scheuer 63-64). Along that same thought process, an absolute truth for one individual may differ for another. Two people can look at a glass of lemonade. One will see it as half full; the other, half empty. The only fact that can be drawn from that is there is a glass of lemonade. Journalistic truth is tying every angle into a story, presenting it to the readers objectively, and allowing them to walk away with their own conclusions of what is true. In our textbook, truth was described as a “journey towards understanding” (Scheuer 64). I love that definition because facts, stories, and understanding change over time. New details can enhance our understanding or completely alter our view. Nothing is really set in stone; it’s developing, changing, and growing.
For me personally, truth or the quest for truth is liberating. Having truth and freedom can affect a person’s heart, even the world. Fighting for what one knows to be true has caused more than just revolutions of the soul, it has changed the course of history. Truth can bring comfort and happiness. I’m not talking about the traditional comfort and happiness, because truth can be painful as well. But truth can provide the strength for change as well as the strength for acceptance.
Truth is blind in the sense that the universal truths of things like human emotions apply to every color, nationality, and people. It is important every person have access to the truth. Journalism plays an important role in democracy. At the same time, the people of the democracy have a duty to be as informed as possible so when it comes time to make monumental decisions, they can make the best decision possible for their own good and the good of the public.

Final Answer Part Dos

2. “No one hears the phrase journalistic excellence and immediately thinks: What the hell does that mean?” (Scheuer 41). However, over the past four months our Communications 239 class has laboriously and meticulously picked apart and challenged the views of every journalistic question presented to us including the question, what is journalistic excellence? I once thought journalistic excellence was simply presenting a well written, meaningful story with integrity. Now I know it is much more complicated than it seems. Journalistic excellence raises all kinds of questions like, “What is news? What is truth? What is objectivity? Etc. Etc.” Rather than delving into the philosophical aspects of those questions at this time, I will try my best to stick to the question at hand. Even after becoming completely overwhelmed with all the complexities and intricacies of what we discussed in class, and wanting to quit before I even began, I realized at the end of the day, it all boils down to the same thing. Journalistic excellence is a process of constant learning, the open-mindedness to new ideas and criticisms, and recognizing there is always room for improvement. “Excellence in journalism can be neither wholly relative nor absolute. It is an envelope that we must continually push” (Scheuer 37).
Some important elements in journalistic excellence include searching for truth, verifying the who, what, when, where, why for an accurate portrayal, selecting what information is relative and pertinent, connecting all the facts and details in the context to provide the readers substance and meaning, and examining methods used to make sure it is as objective as possible (Scheuer 65-67).
Part of journalistic excellence is maintaining independence. Newspaper organizations must maintain independence. Once organizations start accepting bribes and pushing others’ agendas rather than serving the good of the public then they go against everything they are supposed to stand for.
The Montgomery Advertiser did a really good job on providing local and state news to the readers. The reporters covered important debates and court cases to high school football teams. I saw (and personally know from my interview with Sebastian Kitchen) that the reporters try their best to present information as objectively as possible. I personally think they could have done a better job including news happening outside the state of Alabama. They did have one section labeled Nation which lists ten articles under the different headings like Business, Middle East, Politics etc. New York Times has a specific page for each of those topics with more than ten articles that link to other related articles. The Montgomery Advertiser website is almost overly simplistic in its style. I personally think they could clean it up a little to make it more aesthetically pleasing as well as user friendly. De-cluttering, reorganizing, and modernizing the site will help the site achieve more journalistic excellence.

Is that your final answer?

Here are my answers and thoughts from questions posed by the Final.

1. Objectivity is one of the defining qualities of news stories. Without objectivity, how would news stories be any different than other written genre? Objectivity is presenting every side of the story in an unbiased way to the public. It is presenting the facts in a non-deceptive way. Journalists have abused the method of objectivity. According to the Elements of Journalism, “Journalists who select sources to express what is really their own point of view, and then use a neutral voice to make it seem objective, are in engaged in a form of deception” (Kovach and Rosenstiel e15).
With that being said, is journalism then the lack of opinion? No. I agree with the girl in class that said, “opinion is journalism as long as it is not presented as fact.” It is impossible not to have an opinion. However, a person does have control on how the information is presented even if it conflicts with their point of view.
In a sense, a person can not be born with out personal bias. Our background, hometown, school, religious life, etc all shape our reality and perceptions on life. It contributes to our uniqueness as a person. Deciding what questions to ask, selecting what quotations to use, what information to include, what pictures to take, what pictures to use can be considered bias. The only way to determine if it the story is really biased or as objective as it can be is the intent of the person writing it which will manifest itself in the content of the article.
As long as journalists are constantly striving to include all views, obtain all facts, verify all sources, and present information to the best of their ability, I would consider them objective.

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Why I am not an anchorwoman.

This is why I shall never be an anchorwoman. (And for those of you that didn't catch it- we were imitating Anchorman and trying to be as ridiculous as possible)

Newseum

Over the Thanksgiving break I had the opportunity to to visit Newseum. Can I just say it is heaven for all types of journalists, news anchors, etc.

I have to admit though, my favorite part of the exhibit was the wall of AP Pulitzer Prize winning photographs.


Some pictures portrayed historical events that make your stomach turn and your heart hurt.

Others couldn't help but bring a smile to your face. Whatever there story was, it moved you.

I watched a short documentary on the photographers and it reinforced to me the power of a photograph. I also saw the trauma some of them had to overcome from covering these events.

Many times a photographer couldn't handle all the horrible things going on in the world and their helplessness in not being able to do much about it. Many committed suicide.

Here are a few pictures from the AP gallery.

AMONA, West Bank/Feb. 2006
A Jewish settler struggles with an Israeli security officer as authorities evacuate a West Bank settlement near the Palestinian town of Ramallah after Israel’s Supreme Court cleared the way for the demolition of nine homes at the site. This photo won first prize in The World Press Photo awards. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

His commentary on the photo

Edward Adams commentary on his photograph of the Saigon execution.


The picture (taken in 1994) depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.
The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.
Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.


Omayra Sánchez was a 13-year old victim of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano which erupted on November 13, 1985 in Armero, Colombia, causing massive lahars which killed nearly 25,000. She was trapped for 3 days in water, concrete, and other debris before she died. Her image was taken by photojournalist, Frank Fournier, shortly before she died. The image caused controversy due to the photographer's work and the Colombian government's inaction in working to prevent the Armero tragedy despite the forewarning that had been available, when it was published worldwide after the young girl's death.


How important of a role does photography play in a news story?

More Thoughts on Objectivity

(found it on youtube)

Even though this is poking fun, it really got me thinking. How many times do journalists "follow" the rules of objectivity but still find ways to get their bias in as well?

Journalism or Not? That is the question.

Do you consider this an act of journalism?

Bloggingheads- Identity Politics

Bonuses and Bias?

In one of our class discussions on objectivity, we were given a handout on the summery of objectivity from the Elements of Journalism.

It said, “Journalists who select sources to express what is really their own point of view, and then use a neutral voice to make it seem objective, are in engaged in a form of deception.”

I am really disturbed by the million dollar bonuses these already wealthy, $350,000 salary earning people are giving themselves.

The question is, does that show through in the article? Is the journalist really presenting the subject matter objectively? Or is the journalist presenting it under the pretense of objectivity?

Future of Newspapers

In all of my communications classes we have been discussing the future of newspapers as it directly affects our careers.

I don't think the newspaper industry is going to die out completely. I think it will adapt.

We will have to be more than just a reporter. We must know how to take photographs, shoot film, edit, and write.

I know some people will still like to have a newspaper to hold and read, but I believe it will transition to being mostly online.

I believe it will move more online as we become a more technologically dependent society.

Once interesting product being created is E-Ink.

It is thin and lightweight like paper, but can have moving, colorful graphics as well. It's actually quite fascinating. I think this has real possibility.

Digital Manipulation

Photographs of deceased soldiers. The head of the one on the left was put on the body of the right.


Times magazine altered the photo of OJ Simpson to make him appear darker and more menacing. 1994

National Geographic altered the picture to make both pyramids appear in the picture. They wanted to create a more compelling picture. 1982

Mussolini had the horse handler removed from the picture to make it look better. 1942


Lincoln head's on John Calhoun's body. Cerca 1860

To see more, visit the original site

The other view point
"It's ridiculous to assume that the public's view of a reporter or newspaper is somehow less credible because computer-aided tools were used to write stories. Spelling and grammatical errors in writing are analogous to the technical errors in photography, where dust, brightness contrast or focus may not be exactly correct. Accordingly, the public knows and expects that reporters will use word processors, and they also expect that the industry has other mechanisms in place (either internally or externally) to catch liars. Similarly, the public should know that photographers use tools (whether chemistry found in the darkroom, or software on a computer) to render images correctly in their newspapers, and that other metrics are used to determine whether an image is appropriate or not. "

What is your stance?

Is photo-alteration acceptable or not? Can the alteration deceive you to believe something that is not true? Would you consider digital alteration a tool just like a word processor?

If you are stuck in the middle explain the circumstances or instances it is ok.

Idealism Versus Realism

We had an interesting class discussion today about truth, objectivity, loyalty, integrity, idealism, and realism in relation to journalism.

We also discussed to what extent journalism aims to serve the public rather then serving the employer and becoming just another product available to consumers.

Rallying the cause of idealism are the supporters integrity, objectivity, and truth. Some people in class said these were the reasons they wanted to become a journalist.

Some expressed a dislike in the current news industry because of their biased, rating based, flashy but not truly informative reporting techniques.

Instead of compromising by giving the producers what they want or giving a certain audience the kind of news they want and possibly like to hear, they would rather give what constitutes their idea of truth and what they believe the public should be informed about.

Professor Cressman spoke of his personal experience working in the news industry. If he was put into a situation that would have compromised his integrity, he quit. He joined another news organization.

Meanwhile others acknowledged that news should be entertaining as to capture the attention of the audience. Individuals acknowledged that you can do your best to be as objective as possible, but you can not completely take out personal bias 100% of the time.

Sometimes its the biased opinions that make news interesting.

Journalists as it currently is don't get paid enough. So when it comes down to writing a story you don't like versus not getting paid and not having enough money to support yourself, what do you do?

Not everyone can risk quitting his/her job when faced with that decision and hope to get hired again by another news organization.

Professor Cressman told us sometimes he had to do things he didn't like. He became tired of the business and eventually quit. Now he teaches a principles of journalism class at Brigham Young University.

How do you maintain your integrity and survive in this type of news environment?

I agree that doing nothing is not a good solution. But at the same time, how can the new generation of idealistic journalists support themselves while changing the industry, survive all the opposition, and succeed when some people aren't necessarily looking for, wanting, or willing to accept that kind of change?

Interview

I had the opportunity to interview Sebastian Kitchen from the Montgomery Advertiser.

Kitchen, originally from Lubbock, Texas, began his career as a journalist writing for his high school newspaper. When he started college at Texas Tech University, he began writing features and entertainment articles.

One of his college teachers required the students to work a few hours each week at a local newspaper. As a result of this requirement, when Sebastian needed an internship, he just contacted the newspaper he had previously worked for. They were happy to take him on because of his good work ethic he had demonstrated before. He began writing obituaries and news briefs.

After graduation, Kitchen was hoping to go into sports writing. However, he was offered his first professional job covering politics and government by that same newspaper. He has come to love writing about these topics and takes his job very seriously.

Kitchen defines good journalism as "fair, balanced reporting on a variety of issues including sports, news, and lifestyles that interest and affect people."

When asked if he felt that his current news organization practices good journalism he answered with a bold, no.

He believes that too much focus is put on attracting people to the website "with sensationalism rather then with writing relevant stories... on good, solid news. People deserve to read relevant news and not just about Paris Hilton."

Kitchen serves his community by writing articles that keeps the public informed about decisions being made that could affect their daily lives. He asks questions for the people like, "What is the government spending money on? What are elected officials doing in Montgomery? Will their Medicaid payment be cut? Will their property tax go up? Will their child's school be able to afford books next year?"

With each article, he hopes to inform the readers by presenting the facts in a non-biased way.

When it comes to recent movements of community, citizen, civic, and public journalism, Kitchen
believes it produces both good and bad consequences. Allowing people to interact with the publications by posting their own thoughts and opinions is good. But at the same time, "there should be a line," Kitchen said. Kitchen's news organization had an experience with people posting incorrect information about a man through comments and blogs on their website. Those unconfirmed rumors about the man could possibly destroy the man's political career, hurt his family, and open up Kitchen's news organization to a lawsuit.

Kitchen also worries when bloggers act as journalists because many times they are not knowledgeable about the do's and don'ts of journalism. Problems with fairness, accuracy, libel, and other issues arise.

Kitchen has made a difference with his journalism. In 2005, Kitchen wrote an article about Alabama being one of two states left that did not have a landlord-tenant law. Some people were paying money to landlords to live in substandard, unsanitary conditions where some even ended up getting sick. On the other side, some tenants carelessly destroyed property and failed to pay rent. Kitchen brought these issues to light. During the next legislative session, a landlord-tenant law was passed and many people credited Kitchen with helping get it passed.

Kitchen still believes journalism plays a vital role in democracy. He has also "come to believe that many stockholders and managers for giant media corporations are not concerned about the product their news organizations put out." He knows this may not always be the case, but he feels it is happening more frequently.

Kitchen has been affected by the dropping circulations, ratings, layoffs, and growth of citizen journalism. Over 50 positions have been cut from his newspaper including the publisher who hired him, the humans resource manager who helped him, and many more. Even though Kitchen understands the need for a budget, he thinks it is affecting the quality of the product being sold. They are forced to do more with less.

Kitchen understands how some people would argue that voting hurts your credibility as a journalist. On the other hand, he has already given up his right to speak publicly and express his true opinions. "I am not going to give up my right to go into the polling center and cast a private vote I believe is best for my city, county, state, or country," Kitchen said.

When asked if he would go to jail to protect a source, Kitchen said he would. Since the source has placed his trust in you, you have an obligation to protect that trust.

Kitchen offers the following advice to students wanting to go into journalism. "Do it because you love it. And be prepared for some stress in a struggling industry that is changing every day and laying off thousands of people." Be willing and ready to keep up with the changes.

I really enjoyed interviewing a journalist from my hometown of Montgomery, Alabama. I loved getting his perspective on journalism, learning from his experiences, and listening to the advice he had to offer.

Who is a journalist?

I hate trying to confine the definition of a journalist. So I won’t.

Ultimately, anyone can be a journalist or as we discussed in class the other day, commit acts of journalism.

The journalist may not have spent hours meticulously researching his topic or verifying his sources and could very well be overly biased, but he is nonetheless a journalist.

He has presented another form or type of journalism if you will. Granted it may not be a very good or legitimate one, but it is still journalism.

That journalists contributes one more puzzle piece that helps to complete the whole picture of journalism, what it is, and who can be one.

Concerning journalists and objectivity-

I will still try to write and to present the facts as fairly and objectively as I can, but it would be a lie pretending I don’t have an opinion.

Inevitably, opinion will creep in among the stories presented whether accidentally or purposefully.

A girl in class said, “Opinion is journalism as long as it is not presented as fact.”

I agree with her. As long as the journalist makes a distinction between what is fact and what is opinion if for some reason it is being included, then it still is a part of journalism.

What is News?

The other day I watched the PBS program, "News War: What's Happening to the News?"

The movie explores the different opinions of what news is and who can be a journalist. Once again, I find myself questioning my own views on what news is.

I honestly don't believe there is one set right or wrong answer. 

Some people say that news broadcaster and news writers are being judged by the same standards that you would judge a movie or tv-show. It's all about how well they can entertain. Some people suggest this is part of what is causing the deterioration of the news.

On one hand, not all news is going to capture the attention of the audience and captivate it's followers. Some news will be what some people consider "boring." However, that does not mean that all news is going to be boring and should be presented in a formal stiff manner either. 

It's true you need to catch the attention of people flipping the channel so they will watch your news station. Providing a story in an entertaining way is one solution. The problem lies in when the story is spruced up so much it loses the essence of the original intent of the message and becomes just another entertaining story.

Often times the stories being presented have no meaning or consequence to the public. All they are is entertainment. While it's acceptable to have a story like this every now and then, the American people are not learning the news that could affect their daily lives.

Even when the breaking news is told, it is just headlines. Someone in class brought up the example of the bailout plan. In general, most people know it's a $700 billion bailout plan to help out the banks.  But not much more than that is known. How many news stations or news papers actually broke it down so people could understand why it happened? How many people tried to explain the specific points of the bill? How many discussed specific reasons congressmen or senators opposed the plan? All I read was that many economists said the plan was bad idea, it was too much money, and that was it. What other solutions were offered? How does this affect the American people who are wealthy, middle class, or poor?

Most people don't have the time to do extensive research on their own. This is a reason many rely on the news. But when the news is all entertainment and vague headlines about what is going on, how are the American people supposed to stay informed?

Then the issue of what is news comes into play. One person from the video said news is what is important to the people. That can include anything from dating tips to bailout plans. But are dating tips really news?

The man defended his statement by saying that the definition of news and what it can include has been "broadened, not lowered."

Then I wonder whether newspapers should even include the entertaining news. I think they should keep the section that informs the public on special concerts, operas, etc going on in their area. But the news about Brad and Angie doesn't need to be included. That is why there are a plethora of magazines- People Magazine, Seventeen, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, etc. Also shows like Entertainment Tonight will give you all the news about celebrities and gossip that people love to hear about. It shouldn't have to appear on news stations.

I also wonder about whether news should by hyper-local or not. While it may attract more consumers, if everything is local news, how will you find out about international news?

Yes, The New York Times, Washington Post, and USA today are international newspapers. But are three newspapers covering the entire world enough? 

Should people have to buy several different newspapers so they know what is going on locally, nationally, and internationally?

What is the solution?

Champions for a Cause or Vigilantes?

Somalian Pirates hijacked a Ukrainian freighter ship 200 miles off the Somalian cost that was carrying heavy weaponry worth up to $30 million dollars.

The pirates are not trying to steal the weapons or give them to a country that would misuse the weapons. They are simply holding the ship ransom for what they want- $20 million dollars in cold, hard cash. According to the pirates, that money would be used for feeding their men and helping their country of Somalia.

Although they have no intentions of hurting anyone, they are holding the people on ship captive until they get the money. The pirates feel misunderstood by the world. There are doing this for what they view are legitimate reasons.

"He said that so far, in the eyes of the world, the pirates had been misunderstood. 'We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits,” he said. “We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard.'" (From NY Times article. See link at bottom)

So this brings up the question of- what do you do? While holding people ransom for money isn't right, is it right for other people to illegally fish in their seas? The pirates say this is this reason they started doing what they are doing. But have they taken it too far? Do their reasons make it right?

To solve the problem, do you pay the ransom that fuels the cause for piracy, or do you attack? Although some people from other countries are encouraging the United States to help and to attack, remember the pirates could use the captives as human shields as well as have access to all the weapons aboard the ship if they became desperate.

One minute countries feel that the US should back off and not be the saviors of the world. The next minute people are asking for help. What is the United State's role in the world? Do we have an obligation to help? Can we afford it?

Besides wanting the US to help out, other solutions are being discussed. The United Nations is debating whether countries should come together and create a maritime peacekeeping force. Will this solve the piracy problems? Should there be plans on ways to protect the Somalians fishing industry from outsiders that gave cause to piracy movements? Will that help solve the problem? Do you think both actions would help solve the problem and prevent future problems?

I am honestly curious to hear how people feel about this issue. What do you think?

For the full article - Somali Pirates Tell All: They are in it for the Money

For the Question/Answer Session with a pirate- The Interview

More Rovers on Mars

By this time next year, NASA is hoping to have launched the $1.8 billion rover and its back up "bots." The 11 pound one foot wide bot balls will help out when the rovers get stuck. The bots require less repairs, less energy, and are better protected from the dust.

The only thing left for the Swedish researcher to do is present his plan to NASA officials so he can put the bots together and test them out.

For the full story http://tinyurl.com/marbots

Senator Shelby's position on the $700 billion bailout plan

Alabama's Senator Shelby strongly disagrees with the proposed $700 billion bailout plan by Henry Paulson, Secretary of Treasury.

Over 200 of the leading economists have found flaws with the bill. Taking that into consideration,
Shelby wishes Bush would slow down and not try to rush the passing of this bill.

Shelby, among others, refuses to be a rubber stamp for the bail out plan.
To read more http://tinyurl.com/ALshelby

McCain and Obama- The Debate

In case you were like me and could not watch the Presidential debate on Friday when it happened, here it is.



Here is what New York Times reporters Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny had to say about the differences between McCain and Obama.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/27/us/politics/27debate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th


And just because everyone enjoys some humor, here is the SNL version of the debate.

Truth and Objectivity- What is that?

How do we seek truth? What is truth? What holds true for one person may not hold true for another. So who determines which truth is correct? Are they both correct? Are they both wrong? As a journalist, how are you supposed to present "the truth" to the public and on top of that, present it an a non-biased way?

Whatever your position in the news industry- broadcaster, reporter, photographer, etc you make decisions every day on what to include or exclude in the stories you present. You shape the story according to what you think is important for the public to know. Is that considered being biased?

Most news stations are vying to get the news that will sell first. Although providing the public with good news is important, they are almost more concerned about their ratings. What is going to get people to listen to their story. Many times, the stories appeal to the emotions trying to persuade someone to feel a certain way about something. When you are trying to convince people to think like you do, is that presenting honest, unbiased news?

Then you have the problem of the audience. The audience chooses what they want to see or what they want to hear as well. People are going to watch or listen to the stories that already agree with their preconceived notion of what is right or wrong, in other words, their idea of truth. For example, if someone doesn't like Bush, do you think they will listen to stations that talk about the good Bush has done? Or will they listen to someone who points out all Bush's problems? Most people don't want to listen to views they disagree with. As a result, they are getting only one side of the story. In lieu of that, how would you create a station that presents both sides as fairly as possible that also attracts and keeps the viewers?

That brings me to my next question. We have all heard the saying, "There are two sides to every story." Unless you hear both sides, how can you determine what is true? At the same time, two people listening to the same story can come away with two very different opinions on what is true. Does that mean there can be two sides to truth as well? Is any truth absolute?

Truth can change. People once thought the world was flat. Now we know the world is round. Those kinds of examples of how truth can change over time are endless. So once again, I ask- what is truth?

I have no idea what to think, but I know how I'm feeling- overwhelmed. I think it's kind of funny- the more knowledge I attain, the less I seem to know.

Reporter's Privilege

Brigham Young University presented "Protecting Confidential Sources: A Panel Discussion" on Thursday, September 18, 2008. Jeffrey J. Hunt, M. Dayle Jeffs, and RonNell Anderson Jones spoke while Ed Carter moderated.

To begin, what do people mean when they refer to reporter's privilege? Reporter's privilege simply explained is the right of the journalist to disclose information to the public and to protect the informer who gave him that information in confidence. If journalists tattled on their secret sources, then those people and future people will stop coming forward and sharing information with the journalists. As Joseph C. Spear emphasized, "A reporter's sources are the one treasure he can not live without."

As a result of reporter's privilege, scandals like Watergate, Pentagon Papers, and the Iran-Contra secret were unveiled. If journalists hadn't proven themselves trust worthy, then those kind of stories may have never come to the surface.

Why can doctor-patient and lawyer-client relationships exist without a problem but not journalist-source relationships? Is it fair to send a journalist to jail for not revealing his source when the information/informer being protected does not affect national security?

The first amendment protects our right to free speech and free press. Journalists protect their sources when they leak important information like government officials accepting bribery. But who protects the journalists when the guilty party subpoenas and tries to find out who blabbed?

Although one of the last states to adopt a shield rule, Utah's 509 rule is one of most beneficial laws protecting journalists, sources, and the free flow of information according to Hunt. http://tinyurl.com/Utahs509rule

Jeffs discussed the importance that the public have access to the truth. One of the ways the public gets the truth is through journalists. Therefore it is needful to have a law protecting journalists and their sources. The only time a journalist should be forced to reveal a source is when it affects national security or multiple lives of the party involved. There must be a true need. Otherwise, "the free flow of information is more important than the need of the requester."

Jones discussed the issue of subpoenas. She asked different media companies how many times they had been subpoenaed in the previous calendar year. The number totaled up to over 7,000 subpoenas being issued out. Subpoenas tie up journalists and prevents more information from being presented. Once again, this reinforces the need for journalists' protection.

Free speech and free press are the cornerstones of democracy. Press is one way to balance the power of the government and protect the interest of the publc.

What is Journalism?

I could pretend to have a vast knowledge of journalism by using fancy definitions from journalism books, summarizing the history of journalism by quickly reading over wikipedia, and using big words I don’t quite understand to try to impress you with my answer to the question- what is journalism. But I won’t. I have no experience with journalism and have done little research about it. So why would I find journalism appealing enough to declare it as my major and add an extra few years on to my never-ending life as a student? Simply put- journalism is a quest for the truth. Knowing truth equals freedom. Having truth and freedom equals a revolution of the soul. Truth may not always bring comfort and happiness in the traditional way we think of it, but truth can provide the strength for change and acceptance as well as provide a little peace of mind in this confusing, turbulent world. I am a seeker of truth, therefore journalism will be my weapon of choice to help me along this unknown and somewhat frightening journey.

We all know what journalism requires- interviews, research, creativity, writing, innovation, etc and that is precisely what journalists do. But as I stated earlier, journalism is more than researching public documents or interviewing politicians. The real essence of what journalism IS is providing the public with truth. Giving people the best information possible so they can come to their own conclusion of what they believe to be true.

There are no limitations on journalists in the sense of who a journalist can be. One day a story teller. The next a revolutionist. An informer. An investigator. A protector. A voice for the voiceless. Every day is literally a new day, full of possibility.

And there is a certain kind of beauty when a journalist can inspire, encourage, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies of life through an everyday-average joe’s story that somehow is able to connect all of humanity for that moment. And for me, all of these things are what journalism is. I know this may not be the technical what is journalism essay you may be looking for, but that’s okay with me; I’m not here to give you typical.

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