{"id":3472,"date":"2008-10-15T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2008-10-15T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=3472"},"modified":"2008-10-14T18:57:54","modified_gmt":"2008-10-14T23:57:54","slug":"journalism-is-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=3472","title":{"rendered":"Journalism is Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

I studied at the U of M’s School of Professional Journalism (“The J-School”) and even though it was not that <\/em>long ago, industry practices appear to have changed a great deal since then (not to mention my career as a Financial Advisor having nothing to do with Journalism).<\/p>\n

Lost is the notion that a journalist is a professional at least in the sense that a professional follows a creed; adheres to some standard of excellence; observes a code of ethics. Nowadays, objectivity\u00a0is for sissies. Everything is an editorial.<\/p>\n

Journalistic “talent” is more apt to refer to a Journalist’s visage or breast size than more cerebral aptitudes.<\/p>\n

A reversal of sorts has emerged. Conclusions are crafted, research is conducted and the story is\u00a0written to substantiate it. Political events are reverse engineered. Newspapers didn’t use have\u00a0agendas…or at least were a lot better at concealing it.<\/p>\n

And the printed journal is suffering for it.<\/p>\n

This morning on Sirius 144 The Patriot<\/a> I heard Bill Bennett read The Journalists Creed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

The Journalist’s Creed was written by the first dean of the Missouri School of Journalism, Walter Williams. One century later, his declaration remains one of the clearest statements of the principles, values and standards of journalists throughout the world. The plaque bearing the creed is located on the main stairway to the second floor of Neff Hall.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is engraved in bronze; surviving now only in spirit. The bronze’s worth now measured by its weight – not the import it conveys.<\/p>\n

They were heady days…when a journalist could be counted on for the facts. Nothing more\/nothing less. News was news. Opinion was relegated to the Editorial Page.<\/p>\n

Great reward found the investigative reporter that uncovered a truth unknown but of great weight; and it was never served until it was corroborated; confirmed. If anything, the press showed too much restraint in the interest of the greater good. JFK’s affairs weren’t in the news – it wasn’t good for America.<\/p>\n

In the interest of The Republic, in-depth coverage and vetting could be expected to be conducted on both party’s<\/em> candidate. Not just the one, usually a conservative, that the paper wasn’t endorsing<\/em> – a bastardization of the institution in and of itself.<\/p>\n

Case in point: More time and effort has been invested on the part of the media to determine the the maternity of Sarah Palin’s granddaughter than Barack Obama’s associations with admitted domestic terrorists, anti-American ideologues, or the prime instigators of our current financial crisis, Raines and Frank, both either allies or advisers to Barack Obama.<\/p>\n

And the voter is suffering for it.<\/p>\n

Newspapers have been dying a slow death for many years now. Soon the printed page will be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

As for the state of Journalism? The Blogosphere has emerged as an agent for change and frictionless expression. Objectivity, and even truth are left for the reader to discern and evaluate. Feedback and commentary is real time. The Blog is the modern day version of the pamphlet of Ben Franklin’s time; published with a nom de plume, not unlike the millions of blogs across the globe.<\/p>\n

And objectivity in the blogosphere? It’s for sissies here as well.<\/p>\n

As for the creed? Read it and weep.<\/p>\n

\n

I believe in the profession of journalism.<\/p>\n

I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust.<\/p>\n

I believe that clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism.<\/p>\n

I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true.<\/p>\n

I believe that suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of society, is indefensible.<\/p>\n

I believe that no one should write as a journalist what he would not say as a gentleman; that bribery by one’s own pocketbook is as much to be avoided as bribery by the pocketbook of another; that individual responsibility may not be escaped by pleading another’s instructions or another’s dividends.<\/p>\n

I believe that advertising, news and editorial columns should alike serve the best interests of readers; that a single standard of helpful truth and cleanness should prevail for all; that the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service.<\/p>\n

I believe that the journalism which succeeds best — and best deserves success — fears God and honors Man; is stoutly independent, unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power, constructive, tolerant but never careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the appeal of privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a chance and, as far as law and honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely promoting international good will and cementing world-comradeship; is a journalism of humanity, of and for today’s world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Those were <\/em>heady days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I studied at the U of M’s School of Professional Journalism (“The J-School”) and even though it was not that long ago, industry practices appear to have changed a great deal since then (not to mention my career as a Financial Advisor having nothing to do with Journalism). Lost is the notion that a journalist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":228,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media","category-liberal-tyranny"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/228"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3472\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}