Media Then and Now

  We've come a long way in the media world since the beginning of the distribution of news. In the early start of  print journalism that was the only option for news: newspapers. And for a while that's all there really was to news, writing it on paper. It took some time before it branched off into other methods of distributing current events. Radio came about and then television. This sped up the process of spreading the news in a way the world had not yet seen. 

     An earth-shattering thing for the world, particularly the U.S., was Pearl Harbor. This was broadcasted over the radio and America sat horrified in their homes listening to the destruction unfold. This was a shocking wake up call to the world for how quick media could be used to spread current events. 

     The next breakthrough in journalism in the media was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There was continuous coverage of the event and it was a very scary time for America. They knew more information at one time then they probably knew how to handle. It was a pretty bold start to a new era of technology that could spread the news much faster.

(footage of the JFK assassination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY20AR_dTEE )

     And now, what changes have happened to media and the news even since then. We're living in an era where we expect to get the news at ridiculous speeds compared to in the past where quick news access was just in it's beginning stages. With twitter, television, radio, newspapers, and everything else that can be found online it's almost impossible to escape the news. Because this influx of technology and media has taken off so quickly, what else is going to happen to make the news faster and better in the near future?

What is journalism for?

In class we discussed the 6 C's and how they relate to journalism:

    

     1) Constitutional
Journalism helps us maintain our system of democracy. Freedom of the press is part of the First Amendment, and journalists use that freedom everyday in everything they do. 

     

     2) Constructive
Journalism helps provide "news you can use" to the public. It gives people information about world affairs that may pertain to them and society. It relates to people. 

     

     3) Community Oriented
Journalists influence communities and help people form opinions about what's going on in the community. Local leaders are discussed in the news and that makes it relatable to communities on a more personal level. 

     4) Credible
Verification is important in journalism. If sources are giving inaccurate information it takes away from its credibility. This is where accountability comes in because journalists need to be accountable for the truth in what they're writing so they don't lead consumers of the news astray.

     5) Courageous
Journalists need to be courageous about what they publish. It isn't always easy to put work out in public with so many different opinions circulating. Someone is bound to disagree. Journalists need to be the "voice for the voiceless" and let people know what's going on in the world around them, whether consumers like it or not.

   

     6) Guided by Conscience
Journalists need to be people of integrity and be truthful in their reports. This point was connected to the 13th Article of Faith which talks about things that are "honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous...of good report, praiseworthy." Media should not be used cruelly and to punish people, but it should be informative.

The main role of journalism in society to inform the general public of world affairs, and the information should be shared accurately.