Journalism is defined as the profession of broadcasting information to the public. This can be done through the mediums of newspapers, magazines, television, radio etc. Journalism is how we get our information at the local, national and global levels. Individuals or groups/corporations can be considered journalists. As with anything, journalism can either be bad or good. Good journalism is the type that gets an accurate representation of events that allow the public whereas bad journalism gives inaccurate or a trimmed down version of events.
In order for journalism to be considered good journalism, information needs to be reported objectively. This means that the news comes to the public without bias or opinion. In order to report the news objectively, the information needs to be accurate and truthful. This means that all of the details of the event (whether they are positive or negative) are included in the report. This includes public polling which needs to have a large and diverse sample size in order to be considered a fair and accurate assessment of public opinion on topic matter. Recently deceased David Broder is a wonderful example of a good journalist and therefore good journalism. Broder was a political journalist who “traveled more than 100,000 miles annually to interview voters for stories heavy on fact and insight and devoid of bias.” The reason that good journalism is important is because the only time that the public can make the best informed decisions possible is when they have all of the information and that information is truthful and accurate.
Another good local example of journalistic integrity can be found in this week’s Press Democrat in the article “43 Stretches of Rural Road Could Be Added to Sonoma County Priority List.” Also this article is on the shorter side, the article lists all of the accurate facts pertaining to this upcoming event and it does so without bias. The author does not mention how they feel about the adding of the roads nor do they even go as far to suggest how it may be helpful or detrimental (because even that is an opinion and therefore bias.)
Bad journalism on the other hand can take two primary forms. There is the type of journalism which is flat out deceitful and then there is journalism that is truth based but that omits details. Both of these forms of bad journalism are harmful because they both have the same goal in mind, which is to influence the way that the public thinks or feels for personal gain. An example of bad journalism occurred on Rush Limbaugh’s show. Rush Limbaugh, who considers himself a journalist, recently interviewed President Obama on his show about global warming and ended by calling Obama a liar. This is an example of bad journalism because Limbaugh had an obvious bias against Obama and spoke in half-truths for the bulk of the show. He even invited emotionally charged guests into the conversation which only helped to further emotionally charge this supposed journalism.
Another one of the ways that bad journalism can be conducted is through inaccurate polling. This occurs when there is a sampling size that is too small and/or an inaccurate representation of the people polled. This can cause more people to think that the general public agrees or disagrees with something when really only a small amount of people have their opinions and possibly people that have nothing to do with the information being polled. An example of this was a poll done in 1948 by Gallup suggesting that Harry Truman would lose the presidential election. The problem with this polling sample is that Gallup ended his polling early and assumed that everyone that was undecided wouldn’t vote at all. These proved to be a mistake since Truman won with almost the exact amount of that Gallup proposed he would lose by.
People are considered good people when they are honest and forth coming, so it is no surprise that the above examples show that journalism is the same way. It is also no surprise that people who tell only parts of the truth are considered to be people with something to hide and the above examples also reflect this. What makes good journalism, are good people who strive to get the entire truth in all of its accuracy and fullness to the people so that they can think and feel in the most appropriate way possible instead of sub come to being manipulated into making choices that may not be the best possible choices for themselves or the overall population
Sources Cited
“1948 – Truman’s Loss.” Polling the Nations. Polling the Nations. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .
“43 Stretches of Rural Road Could Be Added to Sonoma County Priority List | PressDemocrat.com.” Santa Rosa News, Weather, Sports and Business | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat. Press Democrat, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .
“David Broder: Example of True Journalism, Integrity, and Fairness | Iron Mill News Service.” Iron Mill News Service | 2012 Election News, Polls, Candidates, Election Results, and Analysis. Iron Mill, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .
Show, Rush Limbaugh. “Obama Lies About Global Warming – NewsTrust.net.” Your Guide to Good Journalism – NewsTrust. Premiere Radio Networks, 19 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. .