The roles and the task of a journalist Flashcards
Tunstall indicates
that in the case of conflict of goals within a newspaper, the audi ence revenue goals (increasing the circulation by pleasing the audience) provide
Some media organizations (especially public service media and those with an opinion-forming or informational purpose) clearly do
seek to play some part in soci ety, but the nature of this role is also open to diverse interpretations
Main goals of media organizations
- Profit
- Social influence and prestige
- Maximizing an audience
- Sectional goals {political, religious, cultural, etc.)
- Serving the public interest
A broad choice has to be made … role for the journalist
A broad choice has to be made between a more active and participant or a more neu tral and societal role for the journalist
distinguished two separate self-conceptions of the reporter’s role as that of
distinguished two separate self-conceptions of the reporter’s role as that of ‘neutral reporter’ or ‘participant’. The first refers to ideas of the press as informer, interpreter and instrument of govern ment (lending itself as channel or mirror), the second to the traditional ‘fourth estate’ notion, covering ideas of the press as representative of the public, critic of govern ment, advocate of policy and general watchdog
It looks as if role conceptions are both variable and quite strongly related to political culture and the degree to which democracy is firmly established (see Weaver; 1998: 477-8). For instance,
For instance, in countries where democracy is weaker; there is less emphasis on the watchdog role. Weaver (1996: 87) remarks that ‘political system similarities and differences are far more important than cultural similarities and dif ferences, organizational constraints or individual characteristics in predicting the variance in perceptions of three roles (timely information, interpretation, and enter tainment) by journalists in these countries’.
. A profession is typically thought to have several key features, especially: a significant public role in society;
. A profession is typically thought to have several key features, especially: a significant public role in society; a core body of expertise requiring long training; self-control of entry and regulation; clear codes of ethics and conduct. On balance, there seems to be stronger arguments for denying journalism the status of profession than otherwise
pressures come mainly
pressures come mainly for the neighbouring fields of economics or politics, resulting in a lower degree of autonomy.
The occupational ideology of journalists: main elements
- Public service
- Objectivity
- Autonomy
- Immediacy
- Ethics
The height of professional skill is
The height of professional skill is the exercise of a practical craft, which delivers the required infor mational product, characterized by a high degree of objectivity, key marks of which are
The height of professional skill is
The height of professional skill is the exercise of a practical craft, which delivers the required infor mational product, characterized by a high degree of objectivity, key marks of which are
distinguished four main types of online journalistic site,
distinguished four main types of online journalistic site, as follows: mainstream, indexing and category, meta-journalism and comment, and share and discussion. B
Normally, journalistic content online has potential advantages in terms of
Normally, journalistic content online has potential advantages in terms of space
available (few constraints) and the opportunity to call upon a range of sources, or to provide external links
the most effective advocacy groups ‘were
the most effective advocacy groups ‘were those whose goals were most compatible with the TV network system and whose strategies were fashioned witha keen sense of how that system functioned’.
