Independence & Journalism

"Where does loyalty lie--with your old personal friends and colleagues, with your political ideology or party, with your news medium, with the cold facts--or with The Truth?"

- William Safire

In 2003, George F. Will wrote a column for the Washington Post about invading Iraq. He criticized George W. Bush's tactics for a couple of paragraphs and then spent the remainder of his article praising Conrad Black's ideas for America's foreign policy. The problem? Will was being paid substantially by Black--a fact he conveniently failed to mention in his column. When he was asked if he should have revealed this, he replied, "My business is my business. Got it?"

But if our country's news sources are being influenced by outside forces, isn't it our business?

Being a journalist means being independent. This includes being independent from sponsors, factions, class, race, ethnicity, religion and gender. The public should be able to read or watch the news without wondering if the story is the result of a bribe or prejudice.

It isn't easy, but sometimes you have to give things up as journalist. People won't always like you for what you report. That's just part of the job. They will like you a whole lot less if they realize you've been cheating them because you felt obligated to someone. Don't be bullied by or indebted to any person or organization. To maintain integrity in the newsroom, it is essential to maintain independence.

Professor Bob Steele said, "Journalistic independence is a guiding principle, at the heart of our role as truth seekers and truth tellers. The guiding principle serves as a moral compass to tell us where 'true north' is, where to find the polar star. The guiding principle of journalistic independence also serves as a moral gyroscope to tell us where the equilibrium is found, where we find some balance, a level point in an environment where we are constantly buffeted by the winds of competition, the pressures of deadlines, the forces of business decisions, the countervailing influences of our own self interest and of peer pressure."

So, Mr. Will was wrong. A journalist's business is not really his or her business. Once it is published, a journalist's work belongs to the public and it should be written with only the public's best interests in mind.

Got it?


More information on the George F. Will story.

Faith & Journalism

Last April, an atheist professor named Richard Dawkins tweeted the following: 

Mehdi Hasan is a British journalist and author who is currently working as the political editor of the UK version of The Huffington Post. He is also a Shia Muslim. 

While Dawkins' tweet has generated plenty of criticism, it also raises the question: Can a religious believer also be a "serious journalist?"

Many would argue that religion and journalism do not mix because they are fundamentally different. Religion relies upon faith while journalism demands hard evidence. I, on the other hand, firmly believe that a journalist can be religious. At their cores, journalism and religion are very similar. They both involve searching for the truth. 

In our country's Bill of Rights, under the very same amendment protecting the freedom of the press, it reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." 

So, the answer is a resounding yes --A religious believer can be a serious journalist. As long as no harm is being done, people should not be discriminated against for what they believe. 

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Relations between the media and my church have often been a little tense. However, "Mormons" have found themselves under the spotlight recently after the 2002 Olympics, the presidential campaigns for Mitt Romney and even the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. With increased publicity, there has been an increased understanding and I'm hopeful for the future. 

Also, this post has been a little lacking in the cheer department, so here's a link to one of my all-time favorite Stephen Colbert videos. It's on the subject of Mormons in the media and it's fabulous. 

Media & The Civil Rights Movement

This week, our class discussed Civil Rights and the important role that media has played in it, for better or for worse. We discussed events such as the March on Washington, the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Emmett Till murder and the Montgomery bus boycott.

The press certainly had its less-than-stellar moments during the Civil Rights movement. For example, when covering the March on Washington in 1963, the papers all failed to even mention Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. However, the media was important to spreading the word for Civil Rights. Television, in particular, gave people around the nation a visual of the situation in the southern states. This helped bring people to action. And it helped make our country better.

Yet, racism certainly still exists here and the problem was brought back to the front page after Trayvon Martin's death. Now, I'm not going to go into the moral issues concerning this case. I only want to focus on the way the media covered it. In my opinion, the media made a bad situation even worse with the way they handled Trayvon Martin's shooting at the hands of George Zimmerman.

Skepticism is an important characteristic for journalists to have and there was a distinct lack of it with Zimmerman and Martin. I understand that everybody wants a straightforward story, with clear-cut heroes and villains. But sometimes, stories are more complicated and when they are, the media should acknowledge it.

Both Martin and Zimmerman were treated unfairly because reporters let emotions eclipse the truth. Even when delicate issues like race come into play, journalists need to provide honest facts, not just the juiciest story.

For more info:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/14/zimmerman-trayvon-martin-nbc-news-column-rieder/2516251/ 

The Future of News

This week in class, we discussed the future of media. To be honest, this is a pretty scary subject for me because everything is up in the air right now. All we can really do is guess. The New York Times recently cited a Cisco Systems study that predicts the media industry's revenue could do anything from shrink slightly to completely double by 2017.

Thanks for narrowing that down Cisco.

Sometimes things are changing so quickly that I feel a little bit like Marty McFly in Back to the Future: Part II...except I don't have a hover board.

Image retrieved from http://www.doblu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bt2tf1158.jpg

Also, Jaws 19 has not been released yet.

What we do know is that the old news world is gone. The digital revolution is not slowing down any time soon. Up until now, I think many organizations have been desperately trailing behind it. But to survive in the future, news organizations need to do more than chase the advancing technological changes in society. They need to start keeping pace with them. 

The best way to do this is to simply be adaptable. News organizations need to be more than willing to change. They need to completely embrace change. Yes, the future of media is riddled with problems. But the new age also offers many opportunities. Any media organization, not just the big ones, can aspire to a global audience now. The digital era is an empowering one. It's time to stop complaining and take advantage of it.

Journalism Ethics

In class, we watched a clip from The Daily Show where Jon Stewart mocked CNN's approach to journalism. Stewart particularly highlighted the fact that reporters today, in their rush to be the first to get news out, often get things wrong.

There are countless examples of this, but one of my favorites is KTVU's huge on-air blunder this summer. While reporting on the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash, they announced what they believed to be the names of the four pilots on the plane. Unfortunately, the news station had not checked their sources. When read phonetically, these names became offensive, racial puns. It was an obvious prank--one that the news team would have detected if they had been less concerned with being the first station to come out with a piece of "big news" on the developing story.

Although hilarious, it was a huge blow on the station's credibility. Luckily, KTVU issued a sincere apology and handled the situation extremely well. But in journalism, it's always better to be preventive than penitent.

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It is essential for journalists to be accurate. But even more than that, it's essential to report with integrity. In their book "The Elements of Journalism," authors Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel write:

"Every journalist, from the newsroom to the boardroom, must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility--a moral compass."

Amen to that, boys.

*This week, I commented on Liesl's blog!

The Government's Deep Dark Secrets Revealed

Are people that leak government secrets heroes or traitors? That may be one of the most controversial issues of our time--second only to the great Team Edward v. Team Jacob debate. (On that note, I'm Team Dude Who Hit Bella With His Car).

Last week in class, we discussed the Pentagon Papers. In 1971, a man named Daniel Ellsberg gave information to The New York Times containing details on the United States' role in Indochina and thousands of pages of sensitive government documents. If you'd like to take a peak, a portion of the original Pentagon Papers can be found here. 

Ellsberg is certainly not the only person to blow the whistle. Other well-known examples include Bradley Manning and Julian Assange of WikiLeaks fame (Check out this trailer for the new WikiLeaks movie The Fifth Estate....Benedict Cumberbatch for the win) and more recently, Edward Snowden. A former CIA and NSA employee, Snowden released classified information on government surveillance programs. As a result, he's fled the country and has been both condemned as a traitor and hailed as a hero. So, what should we think of people like Ellsberg, Manning, Assange and Snowden? 

Image retrieved from http://robrogers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/061313_Traitor_or_Patriot.jpg

This question stumped me for a bit. Then I came across a Forbes article  which I found very interesting. It said that we need to stop focusing on if these people are "good guys" or "bad guys." Instead, a good word for them is pioneers. 

"Snowden and Manning -- whether traitors or heroes or neither -- should rightly be regarded as the first arrivals of the wave still to come." 

Digital security is fighting a losing battle and these leaks are only the tip of the iceberg. That's the important issue at hand. 

*For extra credit this week, I commented on Alex Clark's blog post.

Who Journalists Work For

Journalism's first loyalty is to citizens.

In class last week, we discussed the question, "Who do journalists work for?" Frankly, that's a bit of a loaded question. Journalists face a great deal of strain from outside forces. They are under pressure from their sources, media owners, advertising agencies, their families and the government, to name a few. They often face bribes and threats. Yet, there is a certain sense of independence that is unique to journalism. At the end of the day, journalists do not work for their employers. They report for those who are watching their programs and reading their articles. Ultimately, they work for the public.

Image retrieved from http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Manuals%20Volume%203/volume3_58.htm

Eugene Meyer purchased The Washington Post in 1933. Although he was inexperienced with mass media, he had a strong set of principles which he used to run the newspaper. 

Meyer expressed these principles, saying, "The newspaper's duty is to its readers and to the public at large, and not to the private interests of its owners. In the pursuit of truth, the newspaper shall be prepared to make sacrifices of its material fortunes, if such course be necessary for the public good."

Many in the business consider this view to be old-fashioned and idealistic. And that's exactly why the news has suffered such distrust from the public in the last few decades. Journalists need to start believing in the "public service" aspect of their job again.

Yes, it's scary to think about who will be paying for journalism in the future. But if journalists do their job and remain loyal to the public, I think they'll find that that loyalty will be returned to them. 

*For extra credit this week, I commented on Cara Wade's blog :)

Professional Speaker Assignment: Art Rascon (Extra Credit #3)

An Emmy Award winning reporter spoke on the importance of utilizing the gospel of Jesus Christ in a communications career.

Art Rascon, news anchor in Houston for the American Broadcasting Company, delivered a lecture Thursday at BYU after receiving the 2013 Alumni Achievement Award from the university’s College of Fine Arts and Communications.

He told his audience that his faith in God as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped him in his career as a journalist.

“God can make more of you than you can ever make of yourself,” Rascon said. “You must always be open to the direction of the Spirit.”

Rascon has covered conflicts for 28 years. He has reported major events such as Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Indonesia, the Virginia Tech shootings and the war in the Middle East. During his lecture, he gave several examples of instances during his career when he and his team were protected by following promptings from the Holy Ghost.

Rascon said he believes that it is also the responsibility of communications professionals to help others. “We live in a world that is filled with speculation, with problems and with confusion,” Rascon said. He emphasized that as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ, everything he does in disseminating information should be directly related to the gospel.

“Communications has the greatest and most profound effect on people throughout the world,” Rascon said. “What are we doing in our lives to ensure that…it will help influence people for good and not for evil?” 

Extra Credit Speaker Assignment #2 -- J.B. Haws

A BYU professor praised the media attention that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been exposed to in recent years.

J.B. Haws, an Assistant Professor in BYU’s Department of Church History and Doctrine, delivered a lecture on the university’s campus Thursday. In his address, he discussed the history and the current state of public affairs in The Church of Jesus Christ.

When questioned about the present state of public opinion concerning The Church of Jesus Christ, Haws stated that he is “hopeful” for the future and he said he believes that the organization has “articulate leaders” who will be able to overcome potential stumbling blocks in public opinion.

“All things considered,” Haws said. “It is a victory to simply be in the conversation.”

The professor acknowledged that the public perception of the organization has not always been positive. At the same time, he commended the efforts of the church’s different publicity teams over the years.

In particular, Haws celebrated the Homefront commercials produced by The Church of Jesus Christ between 1972 and 1983. These advertisements promoted the importance of the family and won numerous national awards. By 1976, The Church of Jesus Christ estimated that these commercials had received $31 million worth of free radio and television time.

“Perhaps no other initiative did more to link Mormonism to family values than did Homefront,” Haws said.

Other publicity boosts for The Church of Jesus Christ that Haws mentioned include the church’s pavilion in the New York World’s Fair from 1964 to 1965, the presidential campaigns of both George and Mitt Romney and, of course, the Osmond family. 

What Do Journalists Owe Their Audience?

In class, we discussed the need for journalists to commit to truth and verification so that they can avoid reporting something like this:

Image retrieved from http://allaboutroswell.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/chicken_little-sky-is-falling.jpg

To ensure accuracy in reporting, I would recommend three steps:

1. Rely on your own reporting. It is more important to have an accurate story than to be the first to report it. For journalists, it is crucial to get to the site of an incident, ask questions and record the answers that they discover. Piggybacking off of other reporters' stories will only lead to trouble.

2. Double-check your facts. All journalists make mistakes, but it is so much better to catch them before a story is released, rather than cleaning up the aftermath. Consider when NPR broke the news that congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords had been shot and killed in 2011. It made for a good story. The only problem? Giffords did not actually die. Although the news team quickly fixed the error, the false report spread like wildfire via social media. NPR did not double check their sources and they suffered for it.

A more recent example is that of the Navy Yard massacre last month. Some of the left-wing press were so excited to advance their anti-gun agenda, they did not check their facts as carefully as they should have. They reported that the attacker used an AR-15 assault rifle, the same one used in several other recent mass shootings. Unfortunately, this information was untrue. You can see Bill O'Reilly berate these reporters in this clip. 

3. Make sure that you tell the whole story. It is the job of a journalist to look at what they are writing about from all angles. Chicago TV newscaster Carol Marin taught, "When you sit down this Thanksgiving with your family and you have one of the classic family arguments-whether it's about politics or race or religion or sex-you remember that what you are seeing of that family dispute is seen from the position of your chair and your side of the table. And it will warp your view, because in those instances you are arguing your position...A journalist is someone who steps away from the table and tries to see it all." (Kovach & Rosenstiel, Elements of Journalism, p. 110)

Mark Twain said, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." Reporters need to be responsible. They should never allow a lie to outrun the truth.

* For this week's extra credit, I commented on McCall Mishler's blog from class!

The Journalist Worldview & News Gathering

"Journalists are people with opinions. You can't hide that." Freelance writer Gareth Harding said this to our class last week. Frankly, I have to agree with him. Yes, objectivity is something every reporter strives for, but it is impossible to be completely neutral because all journalists have different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives.

As we discussed in class, the Four Gospels in the New Testament all tell essentially the same story of Christ's ministry. But, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all had different backgrounds, experiences and perceptions and they each added their own insights. 

It's the same today with reporters. We all bring something different to the table. That being said, it is very important for journalists to stay clear of bias or prejudice. In the 2006 Duke lacrosse case, an African-American exotic dancer accused three white Duke students on the lacrosse team of raping her. Because of the way the story was covered, most of the world took her side and it became a racial issue. Despite their claims that they were innocent, the students were painted in a bad light by the media when they should have been given the benefit of the doubt. (Innocent until proven guilty, remember?) A year later, the woman's claims were ruled to be completely false.

In general, American broadcasting is considered to be biased. Former Democratic candidate for president, Howard Dean, called Fox News a "very expensive, incredible well-funded, right-wing propaganda organization." On the other side, New York Times writer Alessandra Stanley dubbed MSNBC as "Fox's liberal evil twin." 

Image retrieved from http://danieljmitchell.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/media-bias-1.jpg

A worldview is a good thing in reporting. It brings passion and humanity to the news. It means that journalists care. The important thing is to always produce news ethically and honestly, no matter what our worldviews are.

* For this week's extra credit, I posted a comment on Elizabeth Merrill's journalism blog. 

Professional Speaker Assignment: Sarah Coyne (EXTRA CREDIT)

A BYU Associate Professor spoke of the potential dangers, as well as a few possible benefits, that Disney princesses pose on the female attitude.

Dr. Sarah Coyne of the School of Family Life told her audience that “Disney princess movies are highly gender stereotyped” during her lecture last Thursday in Provo, Utah.

           

She and her team conducted a three-year study of 307 child participants to examine the effects that these Disney princesses have on young girls. They found that avid Disney princess fans showed a much higher level of gender stereotyping. Coyne said, “Disney is very much contributing to this whole girly-girl, pretty-pretty-princess culture” that is seen in the world today. 

The results also showed that girls who loved Disney princesses actually had better body image than others.  They also displayed more pro-social behavior, such as sharing and kind actions. However, the high level of pro-social behavior and positive body image did not last to the end of the three years.

Coyne was also curious about adults. She conducted a study of 90 women in college. Of that number, one-third identified themselves as “princesses.” The participants were given a set of challenges.  Coyne discovered that adults who consider themselves “princesses” had more gender stereotyped attitudes. They were also quicker to give up in their tasks.

“Should we want our kids to emulate Disney princesses?” Coyne asked. The professor was hesitant to condemn them. She said that these characters can be good role models. Coyne recommended that parents highlight characteristics such as kindness, courage and honesty in princesses for their children. 

Professional Speaker Assignment: Brian Stelter

A New York Times journalist said social media is empowering people in today’s world to interact with the government in ways never seen before.

Brian Stelter, 28, told BYU students that sites such as Facebook and Twitter are allowing the public to be involved in politics more than in the past during his lecture Wednesday in Provo, Utah. He said social media makes a “round-the-clock press conference” possible.  Leaders can easily deliver messages to the public and vice versa. “Governments are supposed to represent us,” Stelter said. “By responding to us through social media, elected officials have a much stronger connection to their audience.”

A leader can now relate to the public by means of a simple YouTube video. An example of this is President Barack Obama’s clip released in August to introduce the nation to his family’s new puppy.  Stelter called this a “powerful” method used by the president to connect with his constituents. And this connection goes two ways. Stelter said social media is raw material for politicians to keep informed on public opinion and what is happening on a global scale.

Stelter also voiced his concerns about social media.  In his opinion, it could be “narrowing people’s views” because they only see what certain individuals are posting. By relying on the opinions of friends with similar interests, a person may end up getting only one side of a story.

Despite these reservations, Stelter remained optimistic about the future of social media and communications. He emphasized that social media is a “compliment” for reporting. It certainly has been useful for Stelter, who admitted to meeting his girlfriend on Twitter.

JFK Assassination

Anyone who was alive on November 11, 1963 can remember where they were when they heard that President Kennedy had been shot. It was a tragedy that altered the nation in many ways. Some of the most important of these changes occurred in the field of broadcast journalism.

The JFK assassination raised concerns, for the first time, about what is appropriate content for TV news. The most complete recording of the incident was filmed by Abraham Zapruder with a home-movie camera. And it is not for the squeamish. The video clearly shows President Kennedy being shot in the head. The big question every news station had to ask was: How much do we show to the public?  The issue still continues today with crises like 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombings.

Another big change in the wake of the assassination was that the news became more humanized. The event shook the entire country, including reporters.  And for the first time, the public saw that. An example of this is CBS's Walter Cronkite, who fought back tears as he announced the confirmation of the president's death.

Above all, the JFK assassination caused Americans to truly consider that news seen on television has the same credibility and importance as news found on print. People realized, while watching the details of the story unfold for the next four days, that live television gave them updated information faster than ever in the past. As late as 1950, only 10% of households in America had TV sets.  By 1965, just two years after the assassination of the president, that number had risen to 94%.

Image retrieved from http://i.lv3.hbo.com/assets/images/documentaries/jfk-in-his-own-words/jfk-in-his-own-words-1024.jpg

November 11, 1963 has been called "the day that changed America." I don't necessarily agree with that; however, I would call it "the day that changed television."

The Home of the Brave

14 September 2013

Most people in the world today are skeptical about journalism.  And why should they not be?  After all, journalists have a bad reputation for shoving their way into places they aren't wanted, asking too many questions, and releasing secrets to public scrutiny.  What's more, a recent survey shows that journalists have dropped the most in public esteem in the last four years.

To me, that's a shame because journalism takes a lot of guts.

Image retrieved from http://conservbyte.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Crazy-Journalism.jpg

In my Principles of Journalism course, we talked about the "Six C's" of what journalism should be -- Constitutional, Constructive, Community-oriented, Credible, Conscience-guided, & Courageous.  It's the last of these that I'd like to focus on.

Is journalism courageous?  I think it often is.  I look at examples like Chauncey Bailey, who was gunned down in broad daylight while investigating a bakery's finances and Bill Biggart, killed when the North Tower collapsed as he photographed the rescue efforts of September 11th.  These journalists displayed incredible courage and made the ultimate sacrifice for the story they were trying to tell.

There are many other stories that portray fearless journalism and of course, bravery in this profession comes in many different forms.  In my opinion, the crowning characteristic of courageous journalism is honesty.  That's what truly separates a brave reporter from the rest.  And as skeptical as the world may be about the press today, any journalist who has enough character to tell the truth, has earned the title of hero.