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.