Faith & Journalism

Religion.

In a world of differing beliefs and opinions, it's a touchy subject for many. People have a hard time associating themselves with things they don't understand.

But journalists should beg to differ. It is a journalist's duty to have an objective and open mind, to try to understand, and to report on subjects like religion in an unbiased manner. It is an issue that's just as important as any other beat that's covered in the media. Religion is an easy topic to tip toe around, for fear of giving incorrect information or hurting others feelings. In fact, I believe reporters should feel a little apprehensive in religion reporting to protect the beliefs of others, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be assertive. Journalists should keep in mind that there will always be skeptics.

I think studying faith and religion makes you not only a good journalist, but a good contributor to society. An open mind to others beliefs helps one build tolerance and an understanding for people's motivations. "Religion shapes people’s actions and reactions in very private and very public ways across the range of news and features. Without it, you’re often not getting the whole story." - http://bit.ly/9iaYjO

I found this blog interesting in expressing views on journalism and religion:
http://nowthedetails.blogspot.com/2010/04/religion-and-journalism.html

Another major contributor of journalism is the religion of the reporters themselves. A journalist's upbringing and certain values and morals affect how they report and view themselves in the role of a journalist. No matter a journalist's personal beliefs though, they should always seek truth and hold the public in their best interest.

Here's also a link to a youtube video of people of different religions speaking out about media's effect on their beliefs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXLNhRQ75AI

Mormon Media Symposium

At the Mormon media symposium last week, I attended the presentation given by Kris Boyle entitled, “Latter-Day Tweets: The Mormon Times’ Use of Twitter as a Reporting Tool”.

Kris analyzed tweets tweeted by the Mormon Times from March 1, 2010-August 31, 2010. His main question in his research was “How does the Mormon Times use Twitter to distribute news and info?” involving the following subquestions:

Q: When do they tweet?
A: 415 total tweets (2.25/day), posted mostly from 8am to 4pm

Q: What do they tweet?
A: 26% tweets on columns
22% tweets on local content
75% tweets promoted MT content

Q: Links
A; 85% had links
70% MT links
15% didn’t have links

Q: Interaction
A: 49 tweets
12% were replies
4% were retweets
8% sought feedback

Kris found that MT’s tweets compared to other papers in daytime postings, actively used hastags, and a lack of interaction. They contrasted in considerably fewer tweets, columns were primary focus, included links more often.

The conclusion that was brought from Boyle’s research is that the Mormon Times is looking for ways to reach a newer, unique audience, promoting more content that interests global readership, and striving to reach out more to its general audience.

I really looked forward to attending this presentation, especially since I'm a huge advocate of Twitter. I found the information interesting, but not really surprising. I think all forms of media and many businesses are involving themselves in social media, but aren't really sure how to best take advantage of it. I believe those involved with social media are still experiencing an experimental phase of how to best interact with their consumers, which was made evident in Kris Boyle's research. I would love to see this same study done with a larger news corporation like the New York Times.

Watchdog Journalism

Watchdog journalism.

The term makes me think of a bulldog behind a chain link fence. With squinty eyes and a wrinkly face, the little beast never lets down his guard--anything coming into his territory sets him off in a symphony of barks.

Journalists are much the same. Anything that comes into our "territory" or the territory of society should cause us to raise our voice and inform the public. Journalists are monitors of society and are expected to look out for the best interest of the public.

The watchdog group gave us a handout with a quote I particularly like:

"The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government." -pg. 142 Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

Watchdog journalism is a type of investigative journalism that keeps an eye on politicians and their actions and promises. If journalists especially don't find out what's true and false, who will? By asking the right questions and choosing the right stories, we have the potential to solve many potential and occurring problems (as was seen in the Pentagon Papers).

It is a journalists role to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, and in order to do that we need to be free to investigate important issues in our society.

Here is a video from the Associated Press on "how to do watchdog journalism":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxf90TXThY8

Independence & Journalism

I’m the kind of person who stands in the awkward silence of the elevator with the old man bustling to work and I wonder what his story is. I’m the kind of person who, when sitting at a stoplight, sees the cute couple in the car to my right and I wonder what their story is. I’m the kind of person that loves digging into life’s stories. I’m a story-listener and a story-teller. Even more than that, I’m a journalist. The hardest distinction between the two roles is separating a story from myself--Learning the importance of independence in conjunction with journalism.

I almost always develop a love for stories I discover, and I tend to want to get involved with them. As a journalist, I need to be more conscious of that. You can still be a journalist and have opinions – you’re readers/viewers need to be aware of what opinion you have. I believe it is a journalistic duty to disclose your beliefs to your audience, especially if the story could be a potential conflict of interest.

As a member of the LDS church, if I was asked to report a story on Mormonism, I think it would be only fair to disclose my affiliation with the church to be fair to my viewers. The same goes for political views. I think it's ok for a journalist to be affiliated with a political party or politician as long as they're honest about it. It's an American right. As discussed in previous blogs, taking an independence in journalism, I believe, coincides with transparency and honesty. Regardless of what is being reported, it is important to remain as objective as possible while maintaining an independence.

Group 7 talked about William Safire, a speechwriter for Nixon who was recruited to the New York Times, who was a conservative. The NYT staff had a hard time accepting him at first because he wasn't a "homegrown" journalist, but after saving a co-workers child at a company event, he came to be accepted. A point that was brought up in class was that as long as he was willing to abide by journalistic standards and he has the talent of being a good writer...why couldn't he be a journalist? I think he was a great example of independence and transparency because he didn't hide who he was and what he stood for. Safire had opinions but he disclosed them and made himself transparent. (click here to read columns by William Safire)

Another question in group 7's presentation was "Can we rightly call opinion journalists, journalists?" Of course they are! They're still writing things that are news and include facts. Fact gathering and verification are required despite opinion output. Facts don't change whether you have an opinion or not.

"Having an opinion is not only allowable, not only natural, but it is also valuable to the natural skepticism with which an good reporter approaches a story. But a journalist must be smart enough and honest enough to recognize that opinion must be based on something more substantial than personal beliefs if it is to be of journalistic use. It is not about believing in people...It is a craft based on reporting, learning, understanding and educating. Creating barriers to this process of discovery is, in the end, being disloyal to the public." - Elements of Journalism

I found this interesting article about journalism vs. opinion - http://blog.us.cision.com/2010/11/are-journalists-and-influencers-two-separate-groups/

No matter what a journalist's medium may be, it's important to be a people person, no matter what your background or bias may be. Maintain an independence and still be a "jack of all trades".

Verification

As a reporter and director for Channel Eleven News, I hear errors all the time in information that is told to our viewers. Just the other day, our station claimed an incident happened in France involving a billion people. There aren't even a billion people in France! The mistake was small and silly and seemingly trivial, but small or not, such mistakes demonstrate a lack of verification and therefore a lack of truth.

Verification is critical to journalism.

Even minor mistakes can cause a plethora of confusion and misinformation. Assertion is not enough--simply saying that something is fact doesn't make it fact. Even if the information sounds credible, it should always be supported by bona fide sources.

The "Elements of Journalism" says that seeking multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, and asking many sides for comment, are tools in the discipline of verification. A major element of verification is objectivity meaning that the journalist is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. I liked the included list of concepts that form the foundation of the discipline of verification:

1. Never add anything that was not there
-It is never OK to add things that didn't happen! Sometimes it's easy to assume additional details to the story, but until they are verified, the "fact" remains fiction. When in doubt, leave it out!
2. Never deceive the audience
-A journalist's job is to inform the public in the public's best interest. Sometimes including assertions that make the story more interesting is tempting, but still...not OK.
3. Be as transparent as possible about your methods and motives
- Reveal the directness of your knowledge, you sources, your bias. Even if a journalist doesn't know the answer, they should admit it. The more honest and open a journalist is with their audience, the more trust they will gain--viewers appreciate when a journalist admits they're human :).
4. Rely on your own original reporting
-It's the same thing we've all heard over and over again since elementary school--Do your own work!!! Michael Oresekes said, "...the people who worried about getting beaten, rather than just trying to do it as well as they could as quickly as they could, messed up."
5. Exercise humility
-I think humility is a HUGE part of being an authentic journalist. Journalists should accept that they don't know everything, and should always be open to constructive and even deconstructive criticism. They should have confidence but still carry a hint of skepticism about their work.

I wasn't in class the day my class presented on this topic, but I personally feel I can really relate to the topic of verification right now. As a reporter for KBYU, sometimes I find myself feeling lazy and asserting more than verifying just to get a story done. But even as a student journalist, I remind myself that I'm still a voice to the community. And if I don't start verifying now, at what point will I actually make a priority? Verification is an important habit to develop from the beginning. I also think it's something that makes journalists better people outside of their profession in creating patterns of honesty and integrity.

This article mentions some interesting things about the Principles of Journalism and verification: http://www.journalism.org/resources/principles "This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or entertainment."

Words from the mouth of a journalist...

Don Meyers, a reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune (and a friend of Bro. Campbell’s when they both went to BYU), spoke to my Comms 239 class on October 14 about “The Mind of a Journalist”. (I liked him. Follow him here on @twitter)


He began by talking about how some journalists see their job as a “priesthood” or calling, which is also mentioned in our “Elements of Journalism” book.


While some journalists may believe this, I’m not one of them.


I choose to be a journalist not because I think it’s a profession that was chosen for me as some divine calling, or that it’s of a higher order, but because I consider myself a story-teller—which is another point Meyers addressed.

“We are storytellers at heart. Plus, we are also historians probably with a sense of justice.”

Even as a mere student journalist reporting for KBYU, every week I work to tell a story that explains an issue that's happening in the community and how it affects any viewer that may be watching. Journalism for me is a way of serving others. I also agree with what Meyer’s said about journalists as “historians with a sense of justice”. Journalists act as watchdogs of society—as a sort of fourth branch of government. (http://bit.ly/1msMmd)


Meyers also talked about the story covering the collapse of Crandall Canyon in Emery County mine (http://bit.ly/93pwh9) where the mine collapsed and the owner blamed it on an earthquake. Seismographs later showed that the cause was actually due to the mine collapse, and the Salt Lake Tribune discovered they were using a procedure called “retreat mine”. Journalists were able to unveil vague aspects of the story through the Freedom of Information Act and the Government Records Access and Management Act. I think this example proves journalists as not only storytellers, but everyday heroes.

Loyalty & Journalism

Sifting through media this week I found myself wondering...How much objectivity actually went into the latest movie review of "Social Network"? Was Macaroni Grill's review of shrimp pasta influenced more by it's "delectably zesty flavor" or by a purchased ad? How much of media altogether has to do with self-interest?

Amid all of these questions I found myself ultimately wondering...where exactly does a journalist's loyalty lie?

According to "The Elements of Journalism," journalism's first loyalty is to citizens.

The dictionary defines loyalty as "a strong feeling of support or allegiance." Loyalty is important in journalism because it gives citizens confidence in the press. When journalists put the people's interests above their own, citizens will build trust. Sadly, not all journalists make loyalty a priority. In today's world, journalists have been transformed to care more about "business" than "journalism." Worrying more about keeping budgets and attracting consumers (note consumers and not customers. News is provided free to the public.) tends to get in the way of seeking truth. Ideally, news and business should be separated as church and state. While I believe the money-making aspect of journalism is still important, I would hope that journalists would put loyalty to their citizens above all else.

I love the quote by Nick Clooney -
"If it ever comes down to a question of my loyalty, my loyalty will be to the person who turns on the televison set."

Norman Solomon brings up a several good points about journalism and loyalty in his article, "A Pledge of Loyalty to Journalism" that can be viewed by clicking here.

In class, we talked about "The Wall" of division between business and news that I also found interesting in regard to journalistic loyalty. The concept involves 5 key characteristics:

1. The owner must first be committed to citizens
-Owners ultimately decide the quality of the news produced; they set the standard of quality.
2. Owner's should hire business managers who also put citizens first
-"It comes down to selecting people who have good news judgment and experience in journalism and are sensitive to potential conflicts. I would prefer to have a person with sound judgment." Robert Dechard.
3. Clear standards must be set and communicated
- When everyone is on the same page, roles are more appreciated and conflicts are handled better.
4. Journalists have a final say over news
5. Clear standards should be communicated to the public
-Citizens should understand exactly how news organizations operate. Organizations should state values and standards. I think Forrest Carr's "Viewers Bill of Rights" that invited viewers to enter the newsroom is a perfect example of this.