Loyalty to the Citizens

There is no question journalists must be loyal to find the truth and deliver it to the citizens or the audience it serves. This concept should certainly be stressed when instructing students in scholastic journalism. Loyalty should not be taken for granted. To me, what seems to be more difficult to teach and to practice is being objective. Before a student can understand objectivity perhaps they must first be asked the following critical question. Can a journalist truly be objective? It seems that sometimes the entire society is trying to compromise a journalist's objectivity. How many times has a journalist heard the phrase "please be sure to make me look good" and wondered is the person speaking trying to persuade me. What if the story will not make the subject look good? Often student journalists are easily swayed by those they cover because they don't really understand their responsibility to be objective. In the same breath...do students understand their role of maintaining civic engagement? Probably not. When they first begin in scholastic journalism I believe most students are just trying to accurately complete their assignments and meet their deadlines. However, once they have reached this level the next step could be for them to understand their role. It is important to take baby steps with this process. If not, students could find themselves making too many mistakes and developing bad habits.

The compromise of journalism standards

Yes, unfortunately it is true. Some journalists have and will continue to compromise their standards to get the story. It should not happen, but it does. Sure, we are all seeking the truth and we try to teach our students to do the same. However, often obstacles arise. In scholastic journalism, there are deadlines conflicting with other student activities, the lack of experience of some student journalists, and unfortunately prior review that seem to get in the way. Where does a student publication adviser start? I think it's critical to teach the importance of accuracy by simply showing examples of what happens when a journalist in not accurate. This needs to be the foundation of learning. Perhaps if we can train students to be concerned about accuracy first we can avoid problems in the future. As for the mirror versus the candle debate I think journalists need to be a combination of both. They need to shine the light in the corners and be the eyes for the audience they serve like the candle. They also need to reflect what is happening accepting that sometimes the information just needs to be sent and sent quickly for that matter. That's where  inaccuracy sometimes occurs. Let's face it there is the challenge of being fast and accurate. Too many times speed sacrifices clarity.

This is a test to see if my new blog works.