Basic principles of journalism

Gary L

I'm curious to know if there are any uniting ideas of what makes a well oiled media branch of society? If there are, how come I have to look for them? It would be great if those ideas were tossed around a lot and fresh in everybody's mind.

FewFew

I'll get the ball rolling maybe...

Objectivity is generally held up as one of the cornerstones of journalism. People will argue that there can't possibly be objectivity and being human results in subjectivity, gate keeping, mediation, filtering, distortion etc, but I reckon an attempt to be as objective as possible is a key point in journalism.

kpbdublin

The old Reithian maxim of the BBC still holds true.
Journalism should offer something new. The best reporters uncover stories that have not been reported before. The best columnists offer original insights and do not just run with the pack.
As some sage remarked, all you need in journalism is rat-like cunning, a plausible manner and a little literary ability. That last quality is becoming more important in the Internet age.
Accuracy is more important than objectivity. No journalist is truly objective. In arranging facts and constructing a story a reporter offers an opinion. Some of the best journalists make no pretence to objectivity.

monument

I recommend reading The Elements of Journalism.

Here is a quick overview of the elements of journalism as in the book:

Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.
Its first loyalty is to citizens.
Its essence is a discipline of verification.
Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
Its practitioners have an obligation to exercise their personal conscience.

Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news.

Then it may be worth reading Flat Earth News to get a bit of a reality check.

Cunsiderthis

Reading the papers as i do, it seems the modern rule for being in journalism is to take a press release and repeat it verbatim on your newspaper/radio station/television news channel. thus we hear almost exactly the same stories being told word for word across the media.