Dear Aspiring Journalists,
We are preparing to enter an industry that is taking a turn for the worst. We are the generation that must fix that. Some of the journalists paving the way for us have lost sight of the bigger picture. They take facts and reassemble them to please their audience. It's become a rating game, competing for viewers at all costs. They seem to have forgotten the people of this country rely on them, not only for fast news, but accurate news. The news we are given today is tailored to fit certain audiences and focuses on topics that incite a lot of controversies. In order to be accurate, one must not leave out or under-represent any information and maintain a respectable image while doing so. There is no need to fan the flames or add fuel to the fire; the drama element should be eliminated. We have Hollywood for that.
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With an increase in social media, broadcast journalism has expanded its audience by millions. Social media users are now able to receive timely news updates on the go. With the newfound ease of news, viewers have begun to think of apps such as Facebook and Twitter as credible. Viewers have become less informed because of a failure to verify the sources of the articles they are blindly accepting. Because most social media users don't dig deeper into the story, they never get the full truth; they see the situation through a keyhole. What may come as common knowledge to us, is not the case for everyone else. I argue that we are morally compelled to provide them with facts, having already done the research for them. That's our job; let's open the door for our subscribers.
We were given the gift of influence; we can move masses with the flick of a pen or the alignment of words in a speech. When we have something to say, people listen. They turn to us when taking in information to form an opinion. I do not need to remind you some of the events that shaped the history of our country were influenced by journalists. For instance, the Spanish-American War of 1898 was the result of sensational newspapers of its time. With this journalism became a force to be reckoned with, but I believe that we should flex our muscles in a different way and for a different cause. Let's not contort facts to call for war, but instead give the wholesome facts to aid in avoiding war.
It is up to us to bring the truth factor back to journalism. I encourage you to look closely and see the error. Sensational journalism is not moving forward, it's backtracking. It's purposely doing this job incorrectly. We must correct it.
What inspired you to be a journalist? The answer, of course, varies from person to person. However, I'm sure it doesn't consist of wanting to misinform those who read what your investigation has found.
Journalists are not supposed to be liars, nor are they drama queens. We take a different approach to conveying information. Let your personality shine, but do it at the right place and the right time.
