Submitted By; Remwell James L.

Capin

Submitted To: Lovelia Peronilla

 Roles, Functions and
competencies of
communicators and
journalists
&
Areas of Specializations on
which communicators and
journalists work
Communicator is a person who communicates, especially one skilled at conveying
information, ideas, or policy to the public.

What are some qualities of a good communicator?

Some qualities of a good communicator include giving a clear message, understanding

the message's recipient, showing empathy for the recipient and listening effectively.
Effective communicators acknowledge the intersection of these qualities and make use
of all of them to ensure their communication is productive.

Good communicators always make sure that their message is concise and may be
easily understood. They simplify their thoughts and consider what the primary purpose
of their message is. Rather than rambling or attempting to use flashy language, they
communicate their message in the clearest terms possible, making a misunderstanding
less likely.

Effective communicators also attempt to consider their recipients and tailor their
communication appropriately. They understand that different styles of communication
are more effective for certain contexts or situations. Addressing a group is different from
addressing an individual, for example, while addressing a supervisor is different from
addressing a co-worker.

Good communicators attempt to empathize with the recipients of their messages. They
try to understand what emotions or concerns might be at play within the recipient and
how this might affect their understanding of the message. Looking at the situation from
another perspective helps good communicators acknowledge all sides of an issue.

Finally, effective communicators also practice effective listening. They pay careful
attention to the messages they receive and are sure to acknowledge that they
understand these messages.
What is good communication?

How shall we define good communication? Often we assess communication skills in

terms of tangible outcomes, for example what agreements were reached as a result of
the conversation. For this article, we are not concerned with these tangible outcomes.
We are concerned with the quality of communication itself and the effect on the
relationship between the people involved.

Communication can be thought of as a two-way process of transmitting and receiving

information between people. The information we are mainly concerned with is to do with
thoughts and feelings, which includes observations, opinions, ideas, intentions,
preferences, needs, beliefs, values, suggestions and emotions.

So what does it mean to transmit and receive this information well?

The transmitting mode of communication

Lets start with the transmitting mode. In our model, the good communicator transmits
information with a certain intention. The intention is not to deny other peoples thoughts
and feelings, but to share their own with the intention of nurturing relationship and
building mutual understanding. In choosing what information to transmit, they therefore
focus on the information that they think will most help the other person to understand
them. For instance, they will typically try to convey not just what they think but why they
think it and why it matters to them.

The good communicator is also aware that there are various channels through which we
transmit information. In the typical workplace conversation, there are three main
channels of communication at our disposal. We can express ourselves through words,
the way we use our voice (pitch, intonation and volume) and through our body (physical
posture, facial expressions, gestures and actions). The good communicator pays
attention to what s/he is expressing through these three channels and makes choices
accordingly.

The receiving mode of communication

In the case of receiving information, we can distinguish between intention and attention.
The good communicator pays attention to what the other person is transmitting through
their words, voice and body. Although we are equipped with excellent faculties (eyes,
ears, cognitive processes, etc.) to receive this information, our ability to do so gets
derailed in many ways. We may have certain assumptions, preconceptions or
prejudices about the other person that cause us to block out what they are actually
saying. The good communicator is able to acknowledge information that goes against
these preconceptions, enquire into that information and even, where appropriate,
change their opinions on the basis of new information. Another reason we may lose
attention is when we have an agenda that dominates our awareness to the exclusion of
all else, for example: I have to leave in five minutes - how can I end the conversation?
Or we are so busy trying to solve the problem that we are no longer paying attention to
what the other person is expressing.

Good communication requires the self-awareness to recognise these agendas and put
them on hold when necessary, in order to remain open and attentive to the other
person. Good communication can also take the form of reflecting back to the other
person the information that you have received, in order to test out your understanding
and let them know that you are paying attention.

Like in the transmitting mode, the intention of the good communicator whilst in receiving
mode is to nurture relationship and build mutual understanding. They are not scanning
for the information that will best prove their point, but rather trying to understand what is
most important to the other person and why.

What is journalism?

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and
information. It is also the product of these activities.

Journalism can be distinguished from other activities and products by certain identifiable
characteristics and practices. These elements not only separate journalism from other
forms of communication, they are what make it indispensable to democratic societies.
History reveals that the more democratic a society, the more news and information it
tends to have.

A journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current

information to the public. A journalist's work is called journalism. A journalist can work
with general issues or specialize in certain issues. However, most journalists tend to
specialize, and by cooperating with other journalists, produce journals that span many
topics. For example, a sports journalist covers news within the world of sports, but this
journalist may be a part of a newspaper that covers many different topics.

Roles:

A reporter is a type of journalist who researches, writes, and reports on information in

order to present in sources, conduct interviews, engage in research, and make reports.
The information-gathering part of a journalist's job is sometimes called reporting, in
contrast to the production part of the job such as writing articles. Reporters may split
their time between working in a newsroom and going out to witness events or
interviewing people. Reporters may be assigned a specific beat or area of coverage.

Depending on the context, the term journalist may include various types of editors,
editorial writers, columnists, and visual journalists, such as photojournalists (journalists
who use the medium of photography).

Journalism has developed a variety of ethics and standards. While objectivity and a lack
of bias are of primary concern and importance, more liberal types of journalism, such as
advocacy journalism and activism, intentionally adopt a non-objective viewpoint. This
has become more prevalent with the advent of social media and blogs, as well as other
platforms that are used to manipulate or sway social and political opinions and policies.
These platforms often project extreme bias, as "sources" are not always held
accountable or considered necessary in order to produce a written, televised or
otherwise "published" end product.
Matthew C. Nisbet, who has written on science communication, has defined a
"knowledge journalist" as a public intellectual who, like Walter Lippmann, David Brooks,
Fareed Zakaria, Naomi Klein, Michael Pollan, Thomas Friedman, and Andrew Revkin,
sees their role as researching complicated issues of fact or science which most laymen
would not have the time or access to information to research themselves, then
communicating an accurate and understandable version to the public as a teacher and
policy advisor.

In his best-known books, Public Opinion (1922) and The Phantom Public (1925),
Lippmann argued that most individuals lacked the capacity, time, and motivation to
follow and analyze news of the many complex policy questions that troubled society.
Nor did they often directly experience most social problems, or have direct access to
expert insights. These limitations were made worse by a news media that tended to
over-simplify issues and to reinforce stereotypes, partisan viewpoints, and prejudices.
As a consequence, Lippmann believed that the public needed journalists like himself
who could serve as expert analysts, guiding citizens to a deeper understanding of what
was really important.

Sorting the roles of journalists and other communicators in addressing rural-

urban issues:

What do IFAJ members and other agricultural journalists and communicators see as
their role in rural-urban relations? And has that role changed - even with those who
report solely to farmers - given the public's new interest in agriculture, food, the
environment and rural affairs?

The question of journalists' and communicators' roles has pestered us during this series
about how IFAJ members can effectively help deal with rural-urban issues. Originally,
we did not intend to address the question of roles. We planned a series with three
parts:
 Part 1. Emphasize the broad and growing array of rural-urban issues that need
to be addressed throughout the world. ("The growing angst in rural-urban relations")

Part 2. Take a close look at why these rural-urban issues are often so
challenging for journalists. ("Great laments in rural-urban relations - and why these
issues are so difficult to cover")

Part 3. Identify specific ways in which IFAJ members can help address rural-
urban issues effectively.

The first two parts went well and generated encouraging responses. Now, in
addressing the "how to" part of this series, we come face to face with the diverse and
evolving settings in which IFAJ members operate. Any single "how to" list falls into
disarray.

So we are inserting a different Part 3 in the series. It examines the roles of IFAJ
members, and other professionals, working within two different settings.

Journalists affiliated with independent commercial media. They work for

agricultural or general media that rely for their economic wellbeing upon
subscription income from readers and/or advertising income from sale of time or
space to a variety of advertisers. Their lot as supporters of a free and unbridled
media may be tougher than ever, with the economic downturn.

Journalists and other communicators affiliated with point-of-view

organizations. They work for entities such as agricultural organizations, breed
and commodity groups, agricultural marketing firms, advertising agencies and
communications firms, government agencies, educational institutions, research
groups and nongovernmental organizations with agricultural interests. They
represent points of view. They are highly varied, as a population, compared to
commercial media.
Roles of independent journalists in covering rural-urban issues

"Everyone hates the media. But people think journalists are needed to explain
the complex workings of society." That comment by Lydia Miljan in Hidden agendas:
How journalists influence the news reflects a traditional role of independent journalists.
IFAJ members and other agricultural journalists who work with independent media - and
citizen journalists (a.k.a. bloggers) -- exercise this responsibility in various ways. Here
are sample roles, as identified by IFAJ members and others involved in covering rural-
urban and other kinds of complex issues:

Kindle the flame between media and society. Former IFAJ President Hans
Matthiesen of Germany invited that effort in a 2002 IFAJ News article about
media deserving to be in the doghouse. He called for reporting that is
democratic, substantive and balanced, reporting that provides context and stirs
civic engagement (Mattheisen, 2). Similarly, Douglas P. Starr, professor of
agricultural journalism at Texas A&M University, emphasizes that "government
by the people depends upon people's access to information, information that is
provided by the news media, mainly newspapers and their World Wide Web
pages and their reporters, news editors, and copyeditors, all of whom contribute
to the accuracy and objectivity of the news story (Starr, 1).

Observe trends. G. Pascal Zachary is among those who have urged media to
watch closely for trends at the rural-urban interface. He cited, as an example,
trends involving food imports (Zachary, 13). Canadian agricultural journalist John
Greig recently provided another example. He observed that agricultural
organizations may be becoming more secretive in their deliberations (Greig).

Identify, analyze and assess rural-urban issues. This relates to the

"watchdog" role of independent media, extending beyond the vital role of
watching and reporting on what the government is doing. In an article, "The
media's role in preventing and moderating conflict," Robert Karl Manoff
 suggested that media can provide early warning of impending conflicts and
identify the underlying interests and core values of disputants. He observed that
media also can frame issues in a way that they become more susceptible to
management and identify resources that may be available to help resolve
conflicts (Manoff, 4-5).

Dig deep and fill the gaps. This role contributes to the traditional value of
journalists as independent investigators. It helps provide context, balance and
accuracy in addressing rural-urban issues. It moves beyond what Matthew
McKinney and Will Harmon describe as simply naming problems in partial,
preconceived ways that reinforce polarized positions (McKinney, 9).
Sensationalism may attract audiences, but it seldom contributes to social
problem-solving. We would note that digging deep into rural-urban matters need
not always involve digging up dirt. Writing in The Farm Journalist (Canadian
Farm Writers Federation), Henry Heald noted, "We praise the investigative
journalist who finds where the dirt is hidden and exposes it; who flushes the
cheats out of the back rooms and makes them be honest about their misuse of
public funds." Heald also emphasized the need for investigative journalists "who
will find and expose the hard working men and women who play by the rules and
set honest values and high standards for society" (Heald, 1-2).

Bring diverse interests together. In this role, independent agricultural

journalists can help bring all relevant stakeholders to the table for rural-urban
problem-solving. Some stakeholders are proactive and vocal while others often
are quiet and out of sight. In the context of development, Zachary describes this
journalist role as giving voice to the voiceless. "Bottom-up reporting can produce
memorable stories and give readers and viewers a clearer sense of the human
dimensions of a problem." (Zachary, 11). Journalists exercise this role in the
interest of providing balance. Their efforts help inform and educate parties about
 a rural-urban issue by revealing the full breadth of perspectives surrounding it.

Cut through contradictory facts and viewpoints. Independent agricultural

journalists often find themselves caught in a tug-of-war between varied and
conflicting viewpoints - within agriculture, as well as between agriculture and
other parts of society. That is a price these journalists pay for being in a unique
position to reveal contradictions and shed light on illusory facts, conditions or
perspectives. They pay that price willingly, if sometimes painfully, in the pursuit
of effective coverage. Even when they assume a defensible fall-back position,
such as whether their sources' points of views are research- or science-based,
they are still held up for ridicule for being biased.

Help clear the fog. By training and experience, independent agricultural

journalists take pride in this role. They confront a barrage of "official speak,"
scientific jargon and other complexities of many rural-urban issues. Jon Hamilton
has written about this, for example, in a public radio broadcast about "sifting
through official speak on bird flu." (Hamilton)

Create neutral spaces for mediation and dialogue. From their special
platform, independent agricultural journalists are in an excellent, non-aligned
position to stimulate dialogue in rural-urban issues. This function takes many
forms such as establishing transparency of one conflict party to another, relaying
negotiating signals between parties that have no formal communications,
providing an outlet for the emotions of parties and avoiding stereotyping (Manoff,
4-5).

Provide the independent voice. Stand up and be counted, which in theory is

easier than ever, given the emergence of citizen journalism and the way
subjectivity and objectivity have become so blurred on the pages of newspapers
with seemingly endless commentary. But is this unholy blend confusing for
 readers? And do advertisers, who are becoming increasingly scarce sources of
revenue, want the media in which they appear to have advocacy roles?
Research among agricultural journalists in the U. S. reveals increasing
advertising-related pressure on editorial content (Banning and Evans).

Inform agricultural interests about what society is expecting of agriculture.

Leonore Noorduyn emphasized this role in an IFAJ News article several years
ago (Noorduyn). Agricultural interests spend a lot of time telling society what it
should think about farming, but less time listening carefully and continuously to
what society is thinking. Independent agricultural journalists can help society
feed back to farming, using varied conventional - and social - communication
tools. Holly Martin, agricultural editor and current president of the American
Agricultural Editors' Association, emphasized this role in a recent issue of AAEA
ByLine: "My role is to speak to agriculture producers about the importance of
consumers," she said. It may involve urging them to "educate consumers, one
30-second sound bite at a time" (Martin). We would add that it may also involve
alerting producers and other agricultural interests to public viewpoints about
rural-urban issues.

Address misconceptions and distinguish between myths. Larry Sheedy,

former IFAJ president from Ireland, emphasized this role in a 2005 IFAJ News
article (Sheedy). It seems especially important when such addresses are tied to
conventional events which create public opportunities to speak, such as farm
shows, and unconventional events, such as virtual farm tours.

Clearly, a free press is vital for journalists to carry out these roles.

Also, it is important to note that roles of independent journalists vary by country

and setting (e.g., differences between approaches in Western and other countries).
This is an opportunity for broad discovery, such as how agricultural journalists in
eastern countries regard information providers and what those groups can do to
promote trust and credibility.

Roles of point-of-view communicators

who work with rural-urban issues

Here we are in the realm of public relations and public information that emphasizes
change (or sometimes opposition to change) related to rural-urban issues. Many issues
are narrow, focused, immediate and specialized (e.g., product marketing or a food
recall) while others are broad, unshaped and long-range (e.g., rural community
development, perceptions of farmers and farming). Across all this range, however,
professional journalists and communicators carry out some shared roles. And those
roles are becoming more important than ever in addressing rural-urban issues.

Identify and listen carefully to voices of those with a stake in the issue.
Agricultural point-of-view communicators need strategic minds to identify all
voices relevant to a rural-urban issue, skills to "tune in" on those voices and
wisdom to answer the "now what" questions. Independent media practice this
role, by tradition. Reporters commonly seek multiple sources, in search of
balance. However, they typically use fewer sources than commonly needed for
point-of-view communicating - and for a different purpose. We note how this
traditional role of media is increasingly being taken up by point-of-view
organizations.

Create alliances with others who have related interests. In this role the
communicator identifies potential allies and helps establish relationships with
them to address an issue at hand. For example, the communications director of
a state commodity organization has urged farm organizations to drop traditional
boundaries and consider alliances whenever they feel inclined to go it alone in
the face of rural-urban issues (Prairie Farmer, 15). Similarly, Lorna Michael
Butler advised participants of an agricultural outlook conference to bring diverse
 interests together (Butler, 9). Skilled communicators help do so.

Engage citizens. Point-of-view communicators play this role for a variety of

reasons that are both democratic and economic in nature. "Tap the strengths of
many partners to name problems, frame a set of solutions, take actions and
achieve desired outcomes, rather than limit participation to prescribed steps in an
official decision-making process," urged Matthew McKinney and Will Harmon.
"Citizens and stakeholders bring valuable information, ideas, and insights to the
table that need to be integrated with the knowledge and authority of experts and
official decision-makers (McKinney, 9). Of course, engaging citizens is also a
pillar of citizen journalism.

Confront and challenge. "Almost everyone agrees on the need to be more

proactive," we said several years ago in writing about challenges facing
Canadian agriculture in telling its story to the public and getting urban media to
listen (Roberts, 2004). This is a role that Avrim Lazar has called kicking back with
facts (Roberts, June 2004).

Encourage media coverage that fully and accurately reflects your point of
view. This is the role in which point-of-view communicators provide information
services to independent media about specific rural-urban issues. Agricultural
journalists with independent media pick and choose information from varied
sources, as they prefer. The point-of-view communicator aims to provide choice-
worthy information and perspective.

Provide good, clear communications. The agricultural sector "desperately

needs good and clear communication with the general public and other interest
groups," IFAJ member Markus Rediger of Switzerland has observed (Rediger). In
this role, the point-of-view communicator uses many of the same tools and
 methods as the independent agricultural journalist uses. However, audience,
timing and channel are often "givens" for the independent agricultural journalist.
The point-of-view communicator must select the intended audience as well as
the media mix, timing, pacing and other dimensions of a coordinated
communications effort.

These roles of skilled point-of-view agricultural communicators are extremely

valuable in addressing the growing array of rural-urban issues. Effective
communicators can be the key to success for their organizations. "The New
Integrators" is how Louis Capozzi describes public relations consultants in a changing
world. "Public relations consultants are uniquely qualified to lead in this new
environment" (Capozzi, 2).

All are important - and all share some core goals and roles

We come through this thinking process with two over-arching impressions:

1. IFAJ members and other journalists and communicators in both of these settings -
independent and point-of-view - are vital to effective understanding and resolution of
rural-urban issues. In a democratic society, both carry out critically important functions.
Neither is more or less professional or important. And the roles of both are changing
rapidly.

2. Journalists and communicators in both settings share some core goals and roles.

a. Top-notch independent journalists and point-of-view communicators alike provide an

"honest broker" function that serves all parties to a rural-urban issue. That is, they strive
to operate actively and fully in the best interest of those they reach as well as those they
represent.

b. They help move such issues beyond "fireworks and battlefield" mentalities and
toward informed, effective joint problem-solving. To that end, they emphasize traditional
and new approaches (including social communications tools) that promote dialogue and
conversation rather than a one-way flow of information.
c. They subscribe to high standards of professional ethics, truthfulness and
responsibility.

d. They share a keen interest in reporting information accurately and responsibly.

e. They share an important perspective about the nature of advocacy, a perspective that
emphasizes ears to hear, minds to learn and hearts to care.

Reporting Duties

Before journalists can write about a subject, they must first gather information. They
usually conduct several interviews with people involved in or having knowledge of the
subject. They may also go to the scene of an event, such as a crime or an accident, to
interview witnesses or law enforcement officers and to document what they see. In
addition, they often search public records or other databases to find information and
statistics to back up their stories. Researching a story is often similar to conducting an
investigation, and journalists must sometimes ask difficult questions. They may have to
invest a lot of time tracking down information and people relevant to the story.

Working with People

Even though a news article bears a single journalist's byline, the process requires
significant collaboration. How good a journalist's story is often depends on how adept he
is at communicating and working with others. For example, journalists take instruction
from their editors regarding what angle to approach when writing a story, how long the
story should be and whom to interview. They also need strong people and
communication skills so they can persuade sources to talk to them. Journalists
frequently approach people they don't know, whether when reporting from the scene or
calling to request an interview. If they're uncomfortable around strangers, they'll make
others uncomfortable as well, making it less likely that people will want to be
interviewed.

Legal Responsibilities
In addition to serving the public interest, journalists must also follow the law, especially
regarding the confidentiality and privacy of the people they interview or write about. For
example, while journalists often tape record their interviews to ensure accuracy, federal
and state laws generally make it illegal to record a conversation without the permission
of the other party. In this case, journalists must tell their sources they're recording the
interview before it begins. Journalists must also understand the laws regarding libel and
invasion of privacy. If a journalist is careless when reporting criminal allegations against
a person, for example, he could face a defamation lawsuit if the accusations are proved
untrue.

Ethical Responsibilities

Some aspects of a journalist's job are not subject to any kind of law but are just as
important. Journalists must strive to present an accurate, well-balanced explanation of
the stories they cover. For example, they have an obligation to present all sides of an
issue, and to conduct extensive research and talk to several sources knowledgeable
about the subject. If they present only popular opinion, or if they conduct minimal
research without fully exploring the subject, they don't give readers and viewers the
information they need to understand the implications of the event or issue. Journalists
must also be honest with the people they interview, telling them before talking to them
what the article is about and that they plan to quote them in the piece.

The Role of Mass Media and Journalism in Risk Communication:

An average individual in todays society is exposed to a large amount of risk related

information, definitely larger than one can easily absorb. Risk has become an important
element in our daily life as we live, according to Beck, in a risk society. In risk societies
risk related information is a prevalent type of information distributed or produced by
mass media and is frequently a subject of journalism.

In a risk society, risk communication is one of the most important aspects of risk
management. Risk communication in democratic societies is an interactive exchange of
information and opinions concerning risks and risk management among the risk
assessors, risk managers, consumers and other interested parties, usually referred to
as stakeholders, by different means of mass communication. The right-to-know and
participate principle is nowadays enshrined in local, national, regional and international,
and trans-national laws and regulations. But the precise role of mass media and
journalism in nowadays risk society still remains to be determined and should be an
active subject of research by the communication scholars.

Namely, scholars of mass communication and journalism have the opportunity to draw
upon theoretical and empirical strands to address not only the role of mass
communication and journalism in general education and in the distribution of information
related to risks, which are both highly investigated topics, but also in understanding and
clarifying many of the central challenges of our rapidly changing world, influencing the
role of mass media and journalism, a few of which we list below;

One-way risk communication is increasingly replaced by multidirectional transmission.

The new mass media play an important role in dissemination of risk related
information. However, there are high stakes involved in struggles over ownerships of
these media.

The globalization of our living environment eliminates borders for the risk events and
risk perceptions.

Several social changes and challenges have recently brought about an increase in
real or perceived societal and political risks and have influenced the use of mass media
recently, such as the Arab Spring, the Fukushima nuclear accident and the global
financial crisis.

The credibility and trustworthiness of new sources of risk related information, as well
censorship or overload of information in the new media are becoming more crucial.

There is a tendency of the growing failure of risk managers and communicators to

keep up with the technological changes in information systems used for risk
communication.
On the other hand, it has been known for a long time that mass media are the most
prominent information channel related to risk communication for the general public.
They are used by different stakeholders and play the role of a watchdog of a society.
However, they also have to fulfill the economic aspects of publishing or broadcasting,
with If it bleeds, it leads being a well-known phenomenon in journalism. Moreover,
mass media and journalism play a progressively more important role in contemporary
crisis situations. They help create, shape and terminate a crisis.

Journalists do not only report about the reality, they also influence it. Communication
scholars point out that journalists have an active role to play in reporting about an event
(crisis). They represent, interpret, and construct it and the related political and public
salience of various issues is partly driven by the media coverage. Research has shown
that when media increase their attention to a given issue, the political elites jump on the
bandwagon by stating their opinion, asking parliamentary questions, tabling law
proposals, or issuing executive orders.

In view of the social and technological changes discussed earlier, the question now
becomes whether these findings from a earlier period of mass media and journalism are
still relevant today, or whether perhaps a redefinition of the role of mass media and
journalism in risk communication is due.

If the latter is the case, we need to adopt the methodology of mass communication
research to the newly raised situation and link it to research in other related areas. The
topics studied by mass communication field related to risk can be extraordinarily
diverse. They can range from extremely micro accounts of the use of twitter in natural
disasters to extremely macro accounts of global flows of risk related information and
influence. But the diversity of empirical objects of research can pose methodological
problems. However, this should simply be viewed as another research opportunity in the
development of scientific methods themselves. One promising research tool worth
investigating in this regard may be the so called mixed methods, which combine
qualitative and quantitative approaches.
In short, our goal should not be to praise existing efforts but rather to indicate
challenges. In order to investigate the changes we are witnessing, research on mass
communication has to seek stronger connections among its different sub-disciplines and
to some extent, among different lines of investigation. Lack of integration and critical
reflection is a problem related to both the ability of empirical research to have deep and
cumulative scholarly significance, as well as the ability of the researchers to say why
their work really matters. One of the possible remedies might be the emerging presence
of an open access journals, whose important contributions to information availability can
lead to more coherence in the field and raise research productivity levels and the level
of engagement among researchers in shared intellectual and practical problems related
to mass communication in todays risk society.

Interpersonal Communication - studies role of communication in the formation and

negotiation of intimate relationships, families, and friendships. This specialization is
great if you're interested in conflict mediation, counselling, intercultural training, or
communication consulting!

Journalism - studies creation and framing of news in print, electronic, and broadcast
media. This gives you a great background for a career as a sportswriter, newscaster,
photojournalist, or e-journalist!

Media Production - studies design, production, and editing of content for television,
film/video, audio, radio, and multimedia contexts. This is a perfect specialization for a
career in audio production or sound recording, radio and internet radio broadcasting,
television production, video editing and production, and multimedia production!

Media Studies - studies mass mediated content (film, television, new media), media
technology, media audiences, and mass media as an industry. This is an ideal major if
you're interested in entering film school, the film industry, or if you're interested in the
study, criticism, and public policy related to the mass media (film, television, internet,
etc.)!

Organizational Communication - studies communication as organizing process, as

well as its role in creating identities, relationships, discourses, and cultures within
organizations. This is a perfect track for a career in corporate training and development,
corporate or international negotiations, human relations/resources, communication
management, or organizational consulting.

Performance Studies - studies public, cultural, aesthetic, and literary performance;

studies performance as advocacy and embodiment; develops individual artistic and
critical skills. This specialization is perfect if you are interested in acting, directing,
literature, or performance art; it is ideal for any career that involves public presentations,
persuasion, creativity, and/or advocacy.

Public Relations - studies image creation and maintenance, media relations, strategic
campaign planning and implementation, and crisis communication. This is perfect if
you're interested in a career in any area of public relations, marketing, advertising, or
integrated communication!

Rhetorical Studies - studies law, advocacy, social justice/human rights. This is an ideal
pre-law major, or a strong preparation for a career in advocacy, politics, or human rights
work!

Roles:

A reporter is a type of journalist who researches, writes, and reports on information in

order to present in sources, conduct interviews, engage in research, and make reports.
The information-gathering part of a journalist's job is sometimes called reporting, in
contrast to the production part of the job such as writing articles. Reporters may split
their time between working in a newsroom and going out to witness events or
interviewing people. Reporters may be assigned a specific beat or area of coverage.

Depending on the context, the term journalist may include various types of editors,
editorial writers, columnists, and visual journalists, such as photojournalists (journalists
who use the medium of photography).
Journalism has developed a variety of ethics and standards. While objectivity and a lack
of bias are of primary concern and importance, more liberal types of journalism, such as
advocacy journalism and activism, intentionally adopt a non-objective viewpoint. This
has become more prevalent with the advent of social media and blogs, as well as other
platforms that are used to manipulate or sway social and political opinions and policies.
These platforms often project extreme bias, as "sources" are not always held
accountable or considered necessary in order to produce a written, televised or
otherwise "published" end product.

Matthew C. Nisbet, who has written on science communication, has defined a

"knowledge journalist" as a public intellectual who, like Walter Lippmann, David Brooks,
Fareed Zakaria, Naomi Klein, Michael Pollan, Thomas Friedman, and Andrew Revkin,
sees their role as researching complicated issues of fact or science which most laymen
would not have the time or access to information to research themselves, then
communicating an accurate and understandable version to the public as a teacher and
policy advisor.

In his best-known books, Public Opinion (1922) and The Phantom Public (1925),
Lippmann argued that most individuals lacked the capacity, time, and motivation to
follow and analyze news of the many complex policy questions that troubled society.
Nor did they often directly experience most social problems, or have direct access to
expert insights. These limitations were made worse by a news media that tended to
over-simplify issues and to reinforce stereotypes, partisan viewpoints, and prejudices.
As a consequence, Lippmann believed that the public needed journalists like himself
who could serve as expert analysts, guiding citizens to a deeper understanding of what
was really important.
References:

https://www.reference.com/world-view/qualities-good-communicator-826a69e719f50c4c

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/communicator

https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/feature/are-you-really-good-communicator

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalist

https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is-journalism/

https://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/the-role-of-mass-media-and-journalism-in-risk-
communication-2165-7912.1000e110.php?aid=3862

http://work.chron.com/duties-responsibilities-journalists-13252.html

http://www.ifaj.org/archive/professional-development/professional-features/sorting-the-
roles-of-journalists-and-other-communicators-in-addressing-rural-urban-issues.html