GROUP 1 – MEDIA100/A83

ALVAREZ, JOHN MICHAEL

LUNOD, JOHN

TANAGON, MAE

TEMPLONUEVO, GIKKO

PANES, PAULINE

Journalism

Journalism is a way of gathering and delivering news and reports of daily happenings to

the masses. In the form of print media, radio, television and internet article, journalists deliver

their news and scoops. Journalists are people who collect and gather facts and deliver them as

news to their local citizens, may it be international or local showbiz and/or news.

History of Journalism

Journalism started around the 1400 when both German and Italian cities circulate hand

written news to their business collections. Jumping to the year 1556, where the Venice

government released NotizieScritte, which meant “Written Notices” were handwritten news that

had topics about politics, the military and the economic status of Europe, particularly Italy.

However, this was not entirely considered as “true newspapers”. It was in the year 1600s where

the newspapers we have today are similar with. However, this was also the time when press

freedom was questioned. Journalists were hesitant to deliver news against the government. It was

only when journalism grew and respected as a professional job that it was given significance in

the field of delivering news in both political and public fields. The Gazette de France was
subjected to censorship and was required to comply with politics, showing their support to the

monarchy. India first circulated their newspaper in 1780 that made their citizens aware with

politics. After Napoleon’s departure, Paris started magazines and was into poetry and literature

around the year 1800s. China also started journalism around the early 1900s where they first

served internationally. During the 20th century in France, the press was tightly controlled by the

French government, keeping its citizens uninformed with international concerns. Meanwhile,

Britain’s journalists were successful with booming numbers of readers where journalists fought

against politicians during the World War I. Afterwards; this is where radio and television grew

popular where both were highly important during the World War II. Few years pass, the internet

was discovered and almost all information was easily found and given out. However, due to the

rise of the internet, printed media is no longer that popular anymore.

Different Types of Journalism

Investigative

Investigative journalism aims to uncover the truth about a particular subject, person, or event.

While investigative journalism is based on the basic principle underlying all journalism-

verification and accurate presentation of facts-investigative reporters must often work with

uncooperative or recalcitrant sources who do not wish to divulge information. Renowned

investigative journalism, such as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s uncovering of the

Watergate scandal, can upend major institutions significantly influence public life.

News

News journalism is straightforward. Facts are relayed without flourishes or interpretation. A

typical news story often constitutes a headline with just enough explanation to orient the reader.
News stories lack the depth of a feature story, or the questioning approach of an investigative

story. Rather, they relay facts, events and information to society in a straightforward, accurate

and unbiased manner.

Reviews

Reviews are partly opinion and partly fact based. The review needs to accomplish two things:

one, accurately describe or identify the subject being reviewed, and two, provide an intelligent

and informed opinion of the subject, based on research and experience.

Columns

Columns are based primarily on the personality of the author, allowing him or her to write about

subjects in a personal style. Column writers can take a humorous approach, or specialise in a

particular subject area or topic. It’s important for columnists to develop their own voice that is

recognisable by their readership. Columnists can interpret events or issues or write about their

own personal experiences or thoughts. Columns are usually published weekly.

Feature Writing

Feature writing provides scope, depth, and interpretation of trends, events, topics or people.

Features aim not only to thoroughly explore a topic by conducting interviews with numerous

experts or the key people involved, but to offer a previously unseen perspective on an event,

issue, or person. Feature writing commonly wins prestigious awards when it manages to achieve

this goal. Features usually have the highest word count of all journalism types.

If you’re interested in pursuing any of these different forms of journalism, there are a number of

journalism courses available. Journalism courses teach a wide variety of journalistic, ethical and
research skills which form the foundation of all journalism. Writing courses will also help

budding journalists improve their grasp of the written word. If you have a love of words, and a

keen interest in the world around you, then journalism could be the career for you.

Functions of Journalism

Provide information

- Offering voice to the voiceless

- The central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with accurate and reliable

information they need to function in a free society.

- Another purpose of journalism is to provide knowledge about all aspect of media. It tells

about new developments in technology and hones writing skills that produce real

publications (newspapers and television shows, radio programmers) for real audience

- This function includes all reports, news and happenings concerning the daily life. It does

not include any information involving or concerning the pursuit of leisure. But it does

cover all news regarding government politics, foreign affairs, weather, accident, business,

labour, education. This function consists mostly of matter, which is given, in news

broadcast on the radio and T.V. as well as in the news columns of the newspapers and

magazines

Interpretation of News

- The ordinary mortal caught in a maze of economics, science or invention needs to be led

by the hand through its intricacies. Accordingly, present day journalism sees to it that

along with its announcement of a fact, event or theory, the reader or listener also gets

explanation, background material interpretation and diagrams. These are all aimed at
 helping an individual to achieve a better understanding of the significance of what he

reads or hears.

- The function includes all reports news and happenings concerning the daily life, it does

include any information involving or regarding Govt. politics, foreign affairs, weather,

accidents, business, education etc.

Entertainment

- Under this Function can be included all types of fiction like comic strips stories amusing

aspects of everyday life etc. It also includes factual material sports news, theater reviews

and hobby columns, which deal with leisure. The entertainment function of the press is

very important. This function not only competes for space and time with either functions

but it can also exert indirect influence and impart information incidentally.

Opinion for Motives

- It means influence the opinion of the readers through editorials, articles or certain special

features. In journalism people are not only informed, guided and entertained but they all

influenced to have their opinion on certain issues. In certain cases, the opinion of people

is diverted to another direction, sometimes, to negative and sometimes to positive

direction.

Education Function

- The journalism / newspapers not only provide the information to the people but they also

educate people by providing guidance on various .issues through the editorials and

column.
The need for interpreting and explaining the news in our day and age is readily manifold because

their own field of knowledge baffled even the specialists at time.

PRINCIPLES OF JOURNALISM

According to the American Press Association, the 9 principles of journalism are:

1. Its obligation to the TRUTH.

2. Its first LOYALTY is to CITIZENS

3. Its essence is DISCIPLINE of VERFICATION

4. Its practitioners must MAINTAIN an INDEPENDENCE from those they cover

5. It must serve as an INDEPENDENT MONITOR of POWER

6. It must provide a FORUM for PUBLIC CRITICISM and COMPROMISE

7. It must strive to make the significant INTERESTING and RELEVANT

8. It must keep the news COMPREHENSIVE and PROPORTIONAL

9. Its practitioners must be allowed to practice their PERSONAL CONSCIENCE

Obligation to the Truth

Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context.

Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or philosophical sense, but it can and must

pursue it in a practical sense.

Loyalty is to Citizens
While news organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and shareholders,

the journalists in those organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public

interest above any other if they are to provide the news without fear or favour.

Discipline of Verification

Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information. When the concept of

objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of bias. It called, rather,

for a consistent method of testing information – a transparent approach to evidence – precisely so

that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy of their work.

Practitioners must Maintain an Independence from those they cover.

Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its reliability.

Independence of spirit and mind, rather than neutrality, is the principle journalists must keep in

focus.

It must serve as an Independent Monitor of Power.

Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position

most affect citizens. As journalists, we have an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by

not demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.

It must provide a Forum for Public Criticism and Compromise.

The news media are the common carriers of public discussion, and this responsibility forms a

basis for our special privileges. This discussion serves society best when it is informed by facts

rather than prejudice and supposition.

It must strive to make the significant Interesting and Relevant.

Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or catalogue

the important. For its own survival, it must balance what readers know they want with what they

cannot anticipate but need.

It must keep the news Comprehensive and Proportional.

Keeping news in proportion and not leaving important things out are also cornerstones of

truthfulness. Journalism is a form of cartography: it creates a map for citizens to navigate

society. Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping or being disproportionately

negative all make a less reliable map.

Its practitioners must be allowed to practice their Personal Conscience.

Every journalist must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility–a moral compass. Each

of us must be willing, if fairness and accuracy require, to voice differences with our colleagues,

whether in the newsroom or the executive suite.

Digital Journalism

The existence of technology defines a new type of journalism

In this digital age, it would not be possible for us to run away from any form of technologies,

especially with it becoming more advanced and smarter every day. It provides so much

convenience and is changing how people behave in the online world in a lot of different ways,

including the way they gain information and the platforms they receive it from.

Everything is tied into what is called as digital journalism.

Building a new path to deliver information

Information is still written, but not on a paper anymore. Our smartphone has become our best

friend when it comes to keeping us updated with any kind of breaking news or the latest hard

news. Nowadays, It gets a lot easier and faster to receive all of this through a notification from

our phone compared to television and print.

Accessible, engaging, and interactive for its viewers

Getting a story out has never been this easy, thanks to the internet.

Whether it’s through social media platforms or news apps, the internet makes place for people to

get and give information.

Creating multimedia journalism

Aside from the Internet and World Wide Web, media that ranges from digital videos to photos

have significantly influenced journalism. With the advancement of technology we currently

have, anyone who holds a profession in the journalism field heavily relies on media in order to

deliver its message accurately. Digital content helps to engage people better.

Whether it’s through photography or the creation of infographic, these types of media act as a

supporting role to help better convey the main idea of an information.

In regards to how technology has transformed the production of media, Artificial Intelligence

(AI) also plays a huge role in this field. It is believed to be a ‘tool’ to empower the future of

journalism.

Social media’s role on digital journalism

It’s nothing new that this platform has become #1 way for people to discover new content and

engage with other users through sharing, commenting, and many more.
We can see how social media now allows people to have more access to the news itself and to

actually contribute in the way it is being delivered.

Technology is not harmful and not trying to replace traditional journalism,

but rather providing more opportunities and ways for all source of media to connect with the

readers. Traditional journalism still exists, but technology has arrived to positively enhance how

journalism works by bringing a lot of different advantages. We are not in an era where all

journalism has been slowly transforming into digital/tech journalism, but we are getting there.

References:

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

journalism/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-journalism-definition-roles-issues.html

https://www.sociologygroup.com/purpose-news-functions-

journalism/?fbclid=IwAR35LKFbL_OMYmetKhduQnbaA3fZUZxm3b0i-

Xlxgch_ffrAhvz3dCc5TYQ

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

https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/how-technology-is-shaping-journalism-in-a-positive-
way-9bc6ed2adced

https://www.freelancewriting.com/journalism/different-types-of-journalism/