Scope and Nature of Journalism

Before getting into the skills of writing journalistic articles, anyone must have a fixed understanding
of the scope of modern day journalism. Huge as it is, journalism is everywhere, just as media takes an
integral part in all of our lives. Where there is Ilk media, journalism exists. As a field that is worth working,
journalism is one of the most prestigious careers one can get today. The tools of communication and
technology are television, the printed media and radio. The internet is a more recent addition to this list.
Many students are getting attracted to this field nowadays because a career in journalism can be
challenging as well as highly rewarding.

Journalism is concerned, primarily, with the collection and dissemination of news through the print
media as well as the electronic media (http://entrance-exammeilscope-of-journalism/). This involves various
areas of work like reporting, writing, editing, photographing, broadcasting or cable casting news items. It
covers the printed media that comes in the form of broadsheets, tabloids, newsletters and magazines.

As regards its etymology, journalism comes from the Latin word, diurnal, which means daily. That
is why there is the word journal — a daily register of one's activities. Hence, journalism is a communication
of day-to-day information, whether through sounds, pictures and words. Few places where journalism may
appear include newspapers, magazines, televisions, radios and the internet.

Newspapers are the oldest and most traditional format for the inclusion of journalism. They are
regularly scheduled publications containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features
and advertising. Indeed, newspapers originally started life as 'journals', from which the word 'journalism' is
derived. During the 19th century, American journalists relied on sensational stories that were used to excite
or anger the public, rather than to inform them. This form of journalism became known as `yellow'
journalism. Accurate and fact-based reporting became popular again around the time of World War II, when
the restrained style of writing gained resurgence. Newspapers played a large role in the development of
freedom of expression. Inside sources with the ability to 'leak' stories to the press often choose newspapers
first over any other medium due to the perceived willingness of their editors to expose corruption and lies
among otherwise respected institutions.

Magazines, on the other hand, are publications containing a variety of articles that are generally
published on a regular schedule, whether it be weekly, monthly or quarterly. They usually take a much
more relaxed format than newspapers, with a more informal style to their writing. They are also usually
focused on a particular subject or area of interest, whereas newspaper articles can cover almost any topic.
First published in 1731 in London, The Gentleman's Magazine is considered the first general-interest
magazine. Its editor, Edward Cave (who wrote under the pseudonym `Sylvanus Urban'), was one of the
very firsts to use the term 'magazine'.

Television news journalism, including radio, is known as news broadcasting and is produced locally
in a newsroom or by a broadcast network. It sometimes also includes such additional material as sports
coverage, weather forecasts, traffic reports, commentary, and other material that the broadcaster considers
relevant to the intended audience. Most major television channels offer regular news broadcasts throughout
the day.
 Internet communications have excelled in the last decade or so of course, taking the way news is
published with it. There are now an uncountable of reputable and not-so-reputable sources of information
on the internet. Everything from digitized versions of the very newspapers that headed up the first print
media movements hundreds of years ago, to independent bloggers reporting their own stories from the
comfort of their own laptops. Because of this, opinions are much easier to come by, and users can seek out
the same story from multiple sources to get more of a balanced view more than they ever could in the past.
These make the scope of journalism to be very broad indeed, as almost every form of media these days
can be used as an expression of opinion or conduit of information.

Journalism versus Literature

All journalistic ventures are grounded on facts, on truth and on actuality. Redundant as it may, facts
are the foundation of all the ambits of journalism.

Journalism and literature are both forms of writing, consumed by the public and have relative style.
They may be guided by set rules. Literature is based on the wandering imagination of a writer. It is
categorized into prose and poetry. Journalism, on the other hand, has main genres that include news,
editorial and features. Journalistic genres follow the strict method of dividing ideas through paragraphs
while literature has a variety of forms and styles.

For instance, Jonas, a writer, wishes to come up with a story about ghosts. He now starts
imagining the appearance of the ghosts and creates a plot which includes the conflict, the climax and the
resolution of the conflict. Jonas is writing a literary piece.

Marla, on the other hand, also writes about ghosts. However, before she starts writing about them,
she interviews persons who have allegedly seen them. The appearance of ghosts, including the persons'
beliefs about them, is written into an entertaining way. Hence, the output is packed with facts.

In this case, Jonas writes a literature, a short story in particular while Marla does a feature story, a
journalistic article. Jonas writes based on his imagination while Marla writes based on facts.

Tenets of Journalism
Going into the road of journalism entails not only knowledge but also responsibilities. Hence, their
journalists are bound by strict guidelines. Journalists have rights, but they must bear on shoulders the
duties to serve the interest of the public.

1. Responsibility. Journalists should always be aware of their obligations to their readers to write
the truth whatever it costs. For this reason, journalists must be brave enough to defend facts
and the truth behind the news. In this sense, the journalists' main responsibility is to be the
transmitter of veracity in any issue, and that they are liable not to the company but to the
public.

2. Freedom of the Press. As a basic right, freedom of the press should be safeguarded by the
people of media. In this case, any topic under the sweltering heat of the sun may be written so
long as there is no infraction to the existing laws of the land.
 3. Independence. Putting forward the life of one or two persons by slashing the welfare of the
general public is a clear violation of this tenet. It, therefore, means that the services of a
journalist should be committed to the interest of the general public and not driven by the
interest of money called "envelopmental journalism."

4. Objectivity, Truthfulness and Accuracy. Checking the veracity of data and information before
they are published is an example of being accurate and truthful. Since facts are the solid
foundation of journalism, media men should not therefore conceal the truth by fabricating facts
and by publishing misquoted statements and erroneous statistics.

Objectivity, on the other hand, is simply avoiding conflicts of interest on the treatment of the articles
and on the way arguments and news are written.

Partisan news and biased interviews violate the ideals of journalism; ergo, a journalist should know
the difference between news and opinion. Readers and journalists alike, believe that newspapers should be
objective. Thus, reporters receive training from those who know journalistic rules, and learn to resolve
whatever conflict they may have.

Teel and Taylor (1983), as cited by Pangilinan (2012), suggested guidelines to attain a balanced
story whenever journalists face controversial issues.
a. Stick to the facts.
b. Never insert your personal opinion.
c. Be discreet in the use of adjectives.
d. Avoid cheap shots.
e. Somebody with something to say deserves a forum.
f. Assess your alliances. Remember that you are an observer, not a participant.
g. Listen to your editor.

5. Fairness. The whole point in advocating objectivity is to be fair in presenting information in any
journalistic field. Remember, the public will see the topic according to the way journalists
present it; hence, reporters should exercise telling the truth and putting information in the right
perspective.

In this vein, journalists should always present both sides of the coin, both sides of the argument,
both sides of controversial issues. They should set both avenues for the opposing parties to ventilate their
arguments and points of clarification. With this in mind, journalists, too, must respect the privacy of
individuals, unless, there is a warrant of a public right. In case there is a mistake, true journalists should
rectify the said error, thus the errata in newspapers.

Kinds of Balanced Reporting

There are worthy concepts that novice journalists must be wary about. Concepts that kill balanced
reporting must be avoided.

1. Yellow Journalism. This is simply sensationalizing a story or an issue. It is a type of journalism

that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching
headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events,
 scandal-mongering or sensationalism. Most showbiz stories are grounded on this type of
journalism which appeals to the curiosity of the readers and viewers.
2. New Journalism. The new journalists expanded the definition of journalism and of legitimate
journalistic reporting and writing techniques. They also associated journalism with fiction when
they described their work with phrases such as "nonfiction novel" and "narrative techniques of
fiction." In so doing, they ignited a debate over how much like a novel or short story a
journalistic piece could be before it began violating journalism's commitment to truth and facts.
This approach represents a return to the roots of social reporting which was used in Charles
Dickens' fiction.

3. Advocacy Journalism. This is a genre of journalism that, unlike propaganda, is fact-based but
supports 'a specific point of view on an issue. Advocacy journalists are expected to fbcus on
stories dealing with corporate business practices, government policies, political corruption and
social issues. Arguably, advocacy journalists serve the public interest in a way similar to
muckrakers or whistle blowers. Most advocacy journalists reject the supposed objectivity of the
mainstream press as a practical impossibility, and some others take the position that the
economic censorship exerted by corporate sponsors is no different from political censorship.

4. Stylistic Journalism. It emphasizes imaginative, stylized writing of stories and considers

newspapers as "the literature of immediate fact." 5. Editorializing. This is giving the reporter's
opinion rather than the fact. It may also mean the expanding of news about an insignificant
happening to give publicity to a subject.

Functions and Duties of the Press

If you have fully made up your mind to go into the path of journalism and the media, you have to be
acquainted with your vast roles and primordial functions.
1. The quality of the newspaper must be reflected in the editorial policy. It is more than just a
business because it also reflects and influences the life of the whole academic community.
2. Newspapers must have integrity and readers' confidence.
3. Newspapers may educate, stimulate, assist or entertain. It is therefore a moral responsibility to
balance public interest and the gains.
4. The fundamental quality of the newspaper rests on the quality of the content and the kind of
editorial product. It is responsible for the rise of the readers' educational level and resurgence
of an articulate, active young generation.
5. Freedom of the press encompasses responsibility of the newspapers. Freedom of the press
and responsibility are inseparable. Responsibility of the press means truth in the news — truth
tempered with mercy, decency and humility.
6. The press must practice the principles of journalism without bias and self-interest.

Limitations of the Press

Pulitzer prize-winning author David Broeder (USA Today, Aug. 12, 1987) as cited by Pangilinan
(2012), averred that reports are flawed. Hence, reports are not that complete and may bear mistakes. The
limitations of the press may be traced upon the timeframe within which an article should be submitted for
publication. Remember that journalism secures the freshness of the information. Therefore, when a
journalist is in a hurry to beat the deadline, he may not have enough time to reach all the sources of
information. Subsequently, reporters will be unable to present the story in as many perspectives as a
journalist should showcase.
This implies that readers or the information-consuming public should judge very critically the
articles, the reports, including the photos. Readers should know how to ask questions that are left
unanswered, in the same manner when journalists dig for facts and additional information.

Another limitation of the press is its proneness to be manipulated by the powerful, the elite and the
politicians. Broeder (1987) as cited by Pangilinan (2012) pointed “...every good politician will attempt to
work well with the press. If you live in a country where public opinion ultimately decides public policy any
politician who is at all serious is going to try to manage public opinion, and that means working with the
press. So they all do it.”

Main Task
Instruction: Do the given task below. Make sure to follow the instructions given properly. Your output will be
graded based on the rubrics seen in your syllabus (refer to the “Graphic Organizer Rubric”).

TASK 1:

Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast the nature of journalism from the scope of literature.
Illustrate your answer in a long bond paper.

Literature Journalism

_____________________ ________ ______________________

_____________________ _____________ ______________________

_____________________ ______________ ______________________

_____________________ _____________ ______________________

______________________ __________ ______________________

______________________ ___ _____________________

TASK 2:

ESSAY. Argue in not more than 200 words but not less than 150 words whether the freedom to
write is an absolute freedom. Cite concrete instances, if possible. Write your answer in a one whole
sheet of yellow paper.