"The whole notion of journalism being an institution whose fundamental purpose is to educate and inform and even, one might say, elevate, has altered under commercial pressure, perhaps, into a different kind of purpose, which is to divert and distract and entertain." - Tom Stoppard
As a Journalism major, I found this quote to be a little offensive. I've always loved writing and when I was introduced to news writing my sophomore year of high school, I've loved reporting the facts and educating the public.
I was naive in high school.
I was taught to find all the facts before writing it up, to double-check and sometimes triple-check my facts and statements to make sure I wasn't being misleading or bias. As I've grown in my own skills and watched and read countless news outlets, I've learned that today's journalists don't always give all the facts. They tell you or show you what they want you to see or read. Now, not every journalist out there is the same. I do believe that there are good journalists out there who do report every side to every story, but I believe they're becoming few and far between.
"Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture." - Allen Ginsberg
I firmly believe this. It's apparent in everyday news. All we ever see is violence, protests, murders, and negative aspects of life. It affects our culture. While I know this stuff does go on and that the people need to hear about it, I also see that not every side is being told.
Let's take a look at an example.
A news story from 41 KSHB in Kansas City, Kansas reported about a viral video that had circulated through Facebook. The 30-second clip depicts two police officers who throw an unarmed black man to the ground, after a routine traffic stop. After interviewing the recorder, who claimed he didn't see that the man had done anything to require such brutal action, the reporter went on to ask the police station their side of the story. The man did not have a license because it was suspended, had warrants for his arrest and smelled of marijuana. The officer asked the man to get out of the vehicle and to step towards the back. He went to place handcuffs on the man to arrest him when he began to try to punch and kick the officer. All of this is captured on the officer's body cams and dashboard cams, an angle the by-stander couldn't get. This resulted in him being wrestled to the ground.
What most people would've claimed about this, through just watching the video, is another act of police brutality. When, in reality, the officers had the right to do what they did. The reporter gave both sides. She interviewed the man who took the video and the police station who examined, not only that video but the body cams and dashboard cams as well.
Social media plays a huge role in our world, and that includes the world of journalism. As journalists we are required to not just take one point of view, but to gather them all and report the facts of both sides. We are not to be bias. If we were being honest with ourselves, new outlets everywhere are bias to one side or the other. It's human nature to always favor someone or something. As journalist people depend on us to report all the facts so they can make their own judgments. It is not our place to only give half the story so that people will get in line with what we think about things going on in the world.
The whole point of this was not to share my opinion on certain issues going on in the world. We see, and hear plenty of varying opinions on a daily basis. The whole point of this was to inform and educate like I was taught to do. If something doesn't seem right or it seems like a side of the story is missing, do some of your own investigating. Chances are something is being left out and that part still needs to be heard. What opinion you form after hearing both sides is up to you.
