Tv journalists
Introduction
The public look forward to receive accurate information from TV journalists. They also expect journalists to possess quality traits such as ethics and integrity, courage, effective communication, critical thinking, and more. The notion that exists in the media field is the notion of impartiality and objectivity and this means that journalists should avoid bias and prejudice and present facts. However, many questions concerning truth, bias, verification and more are being asked in the digital age. The current argument is that the media has changed in that the regulation codes have been abandoned. Critics argue that in the digital age, there are no journalistic norms and journalists lack transparency, objectivity, codes of practice, and media literacy. Journalism is a professional discipline where journalists should apply impartiality and objectivity but in the digital age, journalists present a less valuable information and this means that they do not achieve accuracy and fairness.
First, it is important to understand that in the digital environment, there are many sources of information. Some argue that the providers of the information should assess the accuracy of the information. In essence, the consumer of the information should play the big role in assessing whether the information is accurate (Sambrook, 3). Note that in the past, the notion of impartiality and objectivity stated that before reporting news, the news reporter should conduct a thorough assessment to ensure that he or she does not use general impressions when reporting the news but uses facts and evidence. For example, during the 17th century Enlightenment, 'reason' was an important element in constructing beliefs. This gave rise to the idea of objectivity which meant that one should distinguish fact from opinion (Sambroo, 7). In the 19th century, there was an emphasis in giving fair and unbiased reports. In addition, journalism was an important element in the democratic system in that it conveyed information that could be used to make decisions concerning the public. The democratic system valued the culture of communication and required reliable information, trusted information, accuracy, and balanced reporting. However, critics argue that in the digital age, journalism is characterized by the industrialization of news, popular newspapers, and the idea of professionalism (Sambroo, 9). These factors have influenced journalists in presenting their own opinions. In other words, they interpret ideas using stereotypes, emotions, and interest. For example in the UK, there is a resistance to the idea of impartiality and objectivity and this means that journalists have little literacy ability and they used various styles and biases. In the US, the NBC, ABC, and CBS could use a biased public agenda and even today, there is no professional code to guide the journalists (Sambroo, 9).
Tanner et al (359) assert that online and mobile technology are a good source of information but today, local television is the primary news source. Local television news provides health information and viewers are motivated to seek other news concerning important issues. However, 39% of Americans argue that TV journalists do not provide health medical news. The reserve shows that the purpose of journalism is to serve the citizens by providing them with transparent and truthful information Tanner et al (361). In addition, health journalists have a role in improving public health by providing public health information. However, this is not achieved due to the complexity of the news making process. Note that before reporting the news, the journalists are expected to conduct a systematic analysis. For example, journalists need to use expert sources such as hospital administrators, doctors, among other sources that would provide health and medical information Tanner et al (361). However, the journalist may decide to derive information from cover stories and this means that they will not provide health information needed by the community. Focusing on organizational factors, journalists fail to present truthful information in that they rely on routine news events and general Web sites. These sites do not provide information that should be covered but they provide information that is easily covered. Another important point to note that journalists' personal traits affect the way news is presented. For example, a journalist may use his or her personal interest to present particular news Tanner et al (362). Thus, in the digital age, journalists are faced with many challenges that hinder them from present reliable and truthful information. They are not adhering to professional codes and regulations and this means that they are less effective.
Conclusion
The research paper has shown that journalism is changing in that journalists have undermined impartiality and objectivity. The traditional model of reporting news was characterized by a professional code but today, journalists are not meeting the public need since the norms have broken down. In the digital age, there is no transparency and this means that journalists are influenced by their perceptions in presenting news. The articles recommend that journalists should focus on the past approach of impartiality and objectivity since these two elements ensure evidence, diversity, and transparency. Rather than relying on opinion, journalists should rely on facts and evidence, analyses the diverse opinions and rational debate, and ensures transparency in sources of information, and also apply transparency in values and codes. In addition, the media should ensure that journalists are well equipped with knowledge and tools so that that can present quality news in the new digital world.
Work cited
Sambrook, Richard. "Delivering trust: Impartiality and objectivity in the digital age." Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism (2012).
Tanner, Andrea H., et al. “Influences on the Construction of Health News: The Reporting Practices of
Local Television News Health Journalists.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 59,
- 2, June 2015, pp. 359–376. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1029123.
