Journalism advisers are educators and should be working to not only teach students, but the public about the role of the media organization they advise. The difficult part is also getting students to teach the public. I think it's important to build this into the curriculum which is presented to student journalists. Students need to understand journalists are representatives of the public, storytellers, information seekers and gatherers, and also educators. The public needs to be introduced to, understand, and appreciate the role of the media. This will help establish the importance of the media, especially on a scholastic level, along with the rights and responsibilities of journalists. It will also build and hopefully maintain the credibility of the news organization.
We need to instill into our students the message that democracy cannot exist without an active and professional journalism program. From the time they are young students are taught about the democracy of our nation and how it compares to other nations which are not free. However, students need to be reminded of these freedoms when they start to learn about journalism. Without journalism and someone watching the government, democracy is dead. Despite this many educational institutions are not run in a democratic manner, therefore it even more difficult for student journalists to practice their craft under their First Amendment rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment