{"id":913,"date":"2018-02-11T18:58:52","date_gmt":"2018-02-11T18:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/journalism\/?page_id=913"},"modified":"2026-01-29T13:42:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:42:57","slug":"what-is-journalism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/revolutionsincommunication.com\/journalism\/what-is-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"What is journalism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Journalism is<\/strong>\u00a0the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news articles for the news media (web sites, newspapers, magazines, television, radio, etc).<\/p>\r\n

Journalism provides<\/strong>\u00a0independent information about public affairs as a\u00a0public service.\u00a0 It is essential to democracy.<\/p>\r\n

Journalists use objective methods<\/strong> and hold themselves to ethical standards.\u00a0 (They are not themselves entirely objective. No one is.)\u00a0 \u00a0They are transparent (for instance,\u00a0 they tell you who their sources are), they have humility (in that they don’t set themselves up as experts), and they go to\u00a0 expert sources for public information. They work on original research and write original articles.\u00a0 They are accountable for mistakes; they will admit them and make corrections to the record.<\/p>\r\n

Journalists follow a strong code of ethics<\/strong> which could be summarized as:\u00a0Seek the truth; Act independently; Minimize harm; Be accountable. (See the Society of Professional Journalists web site<\/a>).<\/p>\r\n

According to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in The Elements of Journalism<\/strong> ({Parts of which are at theAmerican Press Institute)<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n

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Seeking out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible about sources, or asking various sides for comment, all signal such standards. This discipline of verification is what separates journalism from other forms of communication such as propaganda, advertising, fiction, or entertainment.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Journalism can be news and it can be opinion. <\/strong>But these are two different things and should be clearly labeled.<\/p>\r\n

Journalism is News,<\/strong> written by professional journalists, consisting of facts that\u00a0 originate from responsible sources and are checked for accuracy. News should be unbiased by cultural or political opinions.<\/p>\r\n

Journalism is Opinion,<\/strong> written by professional journalists,\u00a0 or by experts in various fields, or by members of the public (in letters to the editor). These opinions are intended to enrich public understanding, and they should always be labeled as opinion or editorial content, for example, presented on an editorial page or using an editorial banner on TV.<\/p>\r\n

S0 — Even though “Fox and Friends” and similar “talk shows” are highly opinionated, it is still journalism in the sense that these opinions are offered as a public service.<\/p>\r\n

However, outright fakery is never considered journalism. For instance,\u00a0 the show “Infowars” with Alex Jones is not transparent about sources, is not accountable, and unashamedly presents\u00a0 outright lies and deception. It may be entertainment, but it is not journalism.<\/p>\r\n

A Pew Research Center study<\/a> recently showed that only about one quarter to one third of Americans are good at distinguishing between fact and opinion\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Journalism should not mix with advertising. <\/strong>\u00a0 It is unethical to plug a product while delivering the news. For instance:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

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