A Note About Journalism

When we consider what journalism means,  expectations vary. So-called news is just as much about entertainment as it is about the dissemination of information.  In reality, most people are not paying attention to what is really going on in the world, unless the storylines can compete with what entertainment-based news has to offer. There are people who actually want to know what is going on in life today, but they fail to acknowledge the fact that media outlets seem to place entertainment value above journalistic integrity.

The U.S. is the place where standards of logic, morals, and ethics are often overlooked. The new salve of the masses is conjecture and ‘confrontational theater.’ The book, The Invention of Journalism Ethics: The Path to Objectivity and Beyond, by Stephen J.A. Ward makes a valid point that everyone should consider. Ward states that, “Journalism, at its worst, is an art of the demagogue and the despot. It is the propaganda tool of powerful interests that subvert popular self-governance by manipulating the channels of information.” We have to ask ourselves if journalism is failing, because of the way  powerful business interests control mainstream mass media.

J.A. Ward makes points that many people know, but might not look at close enough.  Ward goes on to state how, “Journalism becomes debased if it falls into the hands of unethical media owners and journalists or when editorial resources are squandered on merely entertaining stories. It falters when it fails to question the owners that be and when budget cuts strangle investigative journalism.”  The question becomes, how long has it been since powerful interests did not control journalism?  The more important issue should be to  remember how journalism is supposed to be free of censure, because a free press serves to preserve balance.

Investigative journalism has become too risky for newspapers and magazines to promote. Countless dollars can be lost, if the wrong powerful entity is exposed and embarrassed at the wrong time. Ethically speaking, investigative journalism is necessary, but business interests listen to profit margins above everything else. One of the biggest scandals in modern history was Watergate. In the book,  The Final Days, by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein,  they make it clear that, “As reporters for the Washington Post, we began covering the Watergate story a few hours after five men were arrested at the Democratic national headquarters on June 17, 1972.  Our work for the Post on that story lasted more than two years-until Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974.” The question became, should journalists be able to topple the powerful?  We have to ask ourselves, are the politically powerful being held accountable to the same rules that everyone else must adhere to?

In terms of Watergate, powerful people’s lives and livelihood’s were at stake. Extreme caution had to be applied while gathering information, and it must be kept in mind that, “The Final Days” is based on interviews with 394 people … All interviews were conducted “on background“; that is, they were on the record-we could use the information-but only upon our assurance that the identity of the source would remain confidential.” Today, it is normal to exercise extra precautions in protecting witnesses. The Watergate scandal unfolded right in the media, as the masses saw and understood what was happening.  The scope of what investigative journalism  could do changed from that moment on, and devolved into what we see today. 

When we look back at what happened and who was behind it, the journalists involved  must be viewed in their proper perspective.  Consider this: two young journalists who were not legally qualified to hold the Office of the U.S. President brought down the U.S. President.  The book, All the President’s Men, by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, explained how, “Bernstein looked like one of those counterculture journalists that Woodward despised. Bernstein thought that Woodward’s rapid rise at the Post has less to do with his ability than his Establishment credentials. They had never worked on a story together. Woodward was 29, Bernstein 28.” Journalism was not about personalities or individuality. It was about gathering information and applying ethical standards to reporting.