DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES

Week 10: PROFESSIONALS AND PRACTITIONERS OF COMMUNICATION

Learning Competencies

 Explain the roles and functions of communicators and journalists (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ij-32)

 Identify specific work areas in which communicators and journalists work (HUMSS_

DIASS 12-Ij-33)

 Explain the rights, responsibilities and accountabilities of communicators and journalists

(HUMSS_DIASS-Ij-35)

 Distinguish between ethical and unethical behaviors among practitioners (HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ij-36

BACKGROUND

Various professions in communication have emerged as a result of the functions and roles which
the media play in society, in particular in politics, economy, and culture. Most prominent of these are
those in the fields of journalism, public relations, and advertising.

PROFESSIONALS AND PRACTITIONERS IN COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST Also known as “Public Relations Specialists”- they establish

positive associations with the public and mass media in behalf of their client. Employed by businesses of
all sizes, they are typically jack of all trades who is particularly good at communicating in the written
form. Communication Specialists send draft and send press releases that contain important updates
about their clients. They organize events at which their clients can meet with the public to increase
product awareness or knowledge of their services or recent developments. Journalism, writing and
marketing degrees can potentially be helpful to people who want to go into this field. The specialist may
be contracted on a part-time or full-time basis as well as hired to work from home or in the office.

Journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current information to
the public. Communicators are persons who are able to convey or exchange information, news or ideas,
especially one who is eloquent or skilled.

Roles of Communicators and Journalists

1. To make available information and evidence to inform the public about issues that matter to them in
the most neutral way possible;

2. To provide facts for the public to form judgement and decisions; and

3. To facilitate accurate processing and analysis of such facts in a professional and ethical way.

Functions of Communicators and Journalists

1. To collect and document information, facts and opinions, and present them for public analysis and
deepening to the root of reality;

2. To deliver truths and facts; and

3. To present where the news is happening and having the ability to record what is happening accurately
with the new technology.

Competencies of Communicators and Journalists

Listening - it is the ability to receive and interpret messages in the communication process.

Speaking - the action of conveying information or expressing one’s thoughts and feelings in spoken
language.

Writing - the activity or skill of making coherent words on paper and composing text.

Reading - the act or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud.

Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Communicators and Journalists

Rights of Communicators and Journalists

1. Freedom of the Press

2. Freedom of speech 3. Access to information, people, spaces

4. Access to gateways and distribution

5. Journalism “privilege”

Responsibilities of Communicators and Journalists

1. Observe ethical codes
2. Respect rights of others
3. Serve a watchdog role
4. Provide information for the public
5. Journalism ethics

Accountabilities of communicators and journalists

1. Provide guarantees against censorship and protection of freedom of expression
2. Safeguarding the confidentiality of journalistic sources
3. Ensuring that information held by the government can be timely and easily accessed by the public.

Code of Ethics of Communicators and Journalists

1. At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression
and the right of the public to be informed.
2. Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate, and fair
3. Does his/her utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies
4. Differentiates between fact and opinion
5. Does nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief, or distress unless justified by overriding
consideration of the public interest
6. Protect the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material gathered in the
course of his/her work
7. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination in the grounds of a person’s age,
gender, race, color, creed, legal status, disability, marital status , or sexual orientation
8. Shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child
for a story about his/her welfare
9. Avoids plagiarism

Areas of specialization in which communicators and journalists:

• Advertising - corporate and instructional media (producing visual, audio, media, written, and
multimedia materials for training and instruction, internal and external communications, sales, and
public relations)
• Electronic media - Journalism (magazines, newspapers, print, electronic, television, radio, 6 broadcast)
• Production Management
• Public relations
• Telecommunications (news or production)
• Visual communications (graphic design, production design, photography, video Journalism
A good journalist will collect facts, research and investigate the subject matter based on a
unique style, and formulate language that tells a story. This story will grab the reader to such extent that
both the unique style as well as the story are remembered and recommended. Journalism refers to the
gathering, reporting, and disseminating of news through mass media. It is the system which arose to
provide for society’s need for news and it arises from the citizens’ right to have access to the fact and
opinion about matters of public interest, which are of importance to the welfare, rights and duties as
citizens.
BROADCAST JOURNALISM – This includes the famous TV news anchors. It has many different
facets, both in front and behind the camera. They are the local news anchor jobs, traffic and weather
reporters, and production crew.
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM - Finding, reporting, and presenting news which other people try
to hide. It is very similar to standard news reporting, except that the people at the center of the story
will usually not help you and may even try to stop you from doing their job.
PHOTOJOURNALISM – This is telling stories with photographs. The stories created must follow
the rules of journalism. They must be true stories and the journalist must try to tell the story in the most
fair, balanced and unbiased way possible.
SPORTS JOURNALISM – This job vary across media, roles and content. Some sports journalists
stick with one employer, and does one form of media, while others freelance covering various sports
and writing and reporting for print, broadcast and/or online settings.
Advertising: Advertising is “a paid, mediated form of communication from an identifiable
source, designed to persuade the reader (listener or viewer) to take some action, now or in the future”
(Jef Curran). Advertising serves as a marketing tool, a transmitter of information, an economic stimulant
and purveyor of values for business and society
Public Relations” Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually
beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. As management function, public
relations may include anticipating, analyzing, and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that
might impact their candidate or person of interest.