The nature and sources of news o Robert Entman o Ideal goal of traditional journalism has been to make power accountable Essay outlines core democratizing roles of journalism Essay explores the ways in which the full range of media products may be fulfilling some of these news functions o Four areas of knowledge vital to effective democratic citizenship Policy Power Ideology Self interest Specific public policy issues The actions of individuals especially public officials and groups exerting political power The philosophical perspectives that shape decisions on allocating wealth status and other valued resources Individuals own political interests stakes in policy issues and elections Their roles in society o Differences between traditional advocacy and tabloid journalism and entertainment Degree of commitment to key journalistic standards Core organizational values and missions Target audiences and market constraints Prototypical message content o Key journalistic standards Accuracy Balance Checks on pure profit maximization Democratic accountability Editorial separation o Core missions organizational values of journalism Reporting on important events people and issues Particularly those involving government and actors In a balanced and accurate manner Generating sufficient advertising and circulation revenue to make a profit Regarded by the stock market or private owners as acceptable News the news media in the digital age implications for democracy o Herbert J Gans 2010 o Bulwark theory Protector of democracy Informing the public about politics government Allows for citizen participation Gans asserts that working journalists do not concern themselves with this Instead think about the uncertain future of journalism its role in democracy o Economic power must be disconnected from political power o Seven changes that would allow for news to further contribute to democracy 1 Conduct more active reporting a Saves money b Journalists free to delve into the details of the socio political c economic Journalists should pay more attention to the Cabinet legislative judicial and executive branches that play a vital role in democracy 2 Increase and Broaden economic reporting a Since America s democracy well being depends on the economy it should be covered as much as government b He argues that we should i Eliminate the unrepresentative institutions ii Reform the Senate to reduce its power iii Redraw unfair boundaries for congressional districts iv Prevent presidency from turning into a unitary executive 3 Cover Citizen News a Must report citizens role in democracy b Provide different questions in polls than mainstream pollsters c Cover the unrepresented citizens who do not vote or participate in politics 4 Report additional perspectives on America a Get rid of top down reporting and upscale democracy b Report facts viewpoints and opinions outside of the mainstream 5 Increase Watch dogging a More everyday analytical investigating i Eliminates corruption malpractice misdeeds and ii Maintains norms and values within society b Can be performed by everyday citizens and not explicitly by ignorance journalists 6 Make Room for Informed Opinion a Journalists only report facts with insufficient attention and provide more personal opinion 7 Enlarge the News Audience a Keep reporting simple to accommodate o Too expensive but Gans urges trial bc news is currently too superficial brief inadequate National Public Radio standards of our journalism To create an informed public challenged by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events ideas and culture within the US across the globe o 2012 o Mission o Quality o Accuracy o Fairness Purpose is to pursue the truth Faithful to the intention of the interviewee o Completeness o Honesty o Independence o Impartiality o Transparency o Accountability o Respect o Excellence o Putting principles into practice Journalism of Verification and Independence from faction o Kovach and Rosenstiel o 2001 o Journalists must maintain independence from those they cover Fairness and balance as devices to guide in verification Too much fairness balance causes distortion o Public journalism movement possible answers o Independence from class and economic status o Independence from race ethnicity religion and gender o Principles of the science of reporting Never add anything that was not there Never deceive the audience Be transparent as possible about methods and motives Rely on your own original reporting Exercise humility o Process product Objectivity of method Progressive era Properly trained people can shed their bias Says that journalists should not just point out problems but also examine Now don t believe this because everyone is bias Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante o The New York Times Arthur S Brisbane 2012 January 12 o Should New York Times news reporters challenge facts that are asserted by the newsmakers they write about So Whaddaya Think o Rosen J 2012 January 12 o Response to Should The Times Be a Truth Vigilante The more news organizations can state established truths and stand by them the better off the readership and the democracy will be Journalistic practices and their problems o Gans H J 2003 from Democracy and the news Outside and top down news Reflects the perspective of those on top who see the mass population as constituents News in mass production Organized planned Speed is essential Data reduction Reactivity passivity Pegs o Limiting the news to reactive or passive reporting o Prescheduled events speeches press conferences etc o Metaphorical handle on which usable news can be hung o Helps journalists choose between numerous alternative stories usually available to them o Importance relevance Proxies o Represent other usually larger and more complicated institutions and sources o Reliance on proxies explains spotty coverage Journalism s theory of democracy and its shortcomings The journalists role is to inform citizens Citizens are assumed to be informed if they regularly attend to the local national and international news The more informed citizens are the more likely they are to participate politically o Especially in democratic debate The more that informed citizens participate the more democratic America is likely to be Downplaying of the economy Narrowness o Limited to politics and pays little attention to the other parts of society that affect the country s democracy Problems surrounding its implications Obstacles to journalists
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