Chapter 14: The Culture of Journalism: Values, Ethics, and Democracy

Some guiding questions zWhat key values underlie modern journalism? zWhat ethical issues face journalists? zWhat legacy has print journalism left in the era of electronic journalism? zWhat is public journalism, and how does it differ from conventional journalism?

Problems facing modern journalism zINFORMATION OVERLOAD: Are we producing too much information? zPUBLIC ALIENATION: Does all this news improve public or political life? Does it involve citizens in public life?

Food for thought: What is NEWS, anyway?

Is what we call NEWS: zProcess of gathering information? zA kind of narrative storytelling? zOr both?

Criteria for NEWSWORTHINESS zTimeliness zProximity zConflict zProminence zHuman interest z Consequence z Usefulness z Novelty z Deviance

VALUES IN AMERICAN JOURNALISM

THE MYTH OF NEUTRALITY zWhat does it mean to remain neutral? Detached? Objective? zCan reporters be detached observers of social experience without opinions? zDoesn’t the subjective process of story-writing involve interpretation and shaping of facts?

Food for thought: Are journalists merely neutral channels of factual information -- or are they well-informed citizens actively shaping public opinion?

“Enduring values” of journalism zEthnocentrism zResponsible capitalism zSmall-town pastoralism zIndividualism

ETHICS AND THE NEWS MEDIA

Food for thought: What is the moral and social responsibility of journalists -- not only for their stories, but also for the actual events or issues they shape?

ETHICAL PREDICAMENTS zDeploying deception zInvading privacy zConflict of interest

SPJ Code of Ethics zSeek truth and report it zMinimize harm zAct independently zBe accountable

THE LEGACY OF PRINT JOURNALISM Rituals that underlie the practice of journalism

REPORTING RITUALS zFocusing on the present yGetting a good story yGetting a story first zRelying on experts zBalancing story conflict zActing as adversaries

JOURNALISM IN THE AGE OF TELEVISION

Print News vs. TV News zBroadcast news driven by technology zBroadcast news must limit stories to fit into time slots between commercials. zTV news derives its credibility from live, on-the-spot reporting, believable imagery, and viewers’ trust in reporters.

Common criticisms of TV news zFormat too slick and homogenized zToo much emphasis on crimes and disasters zOveremphasis on “sound bites” zOveremphasis on youth and attractiveness of anchors zDislike of chatty “happy talk”

CONVENTIONAL NEWS, PUBLIC JOURNALISM, AND DEMOCRACY

COMPETING MODELS of JOURNALISM zINFORMATION or MODERN model: emphasizes describing events and issues from a neutral perspective zPARTISAN or EUROPEAN model: emphasizes interpretive analysis of happenings and journalistic advocacy

Alternative model: PUBLIC JOURNALISM zRather than just “telling the news,” has a broader mission of helping public life zJournalists participate in public life rather than being detached observers zRather than just describing wrongs, tries to imagine what society COULD be like zSees readers not as consumers but as active public citizens

Criticisms of Public Journalism zMerely panders to what readers want zCompromises journalists’ credibility zRemoves editorial control over stories zUndermines opposing-viewpoint conventions by seeking community consensus and middle ground zDoesn’t address changing economic structures of news industry

Food for thought: What are the strengths and limitations of each model of journalism?

MORE food for thought: What is DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY, and how does it differ from REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY? How can journalism help?