Journalism is an important tool in today’s society in its role to keep the populace informed of issues and events through the news. The Concise Oxford Dictionary describes the journalist as “one whose business it is to edit, or write for a journal, especially a newspaper.” Catherine Dean, Lecturer at Strathmore University states “journalism is understood in broader terms, to refer to the art of communicating, transmitting facts, events, information,opinions and so on to the general public, using any of the wide variety of means for communication that exist in our society today.” (Dean, 2006, p. 3) News should be “new, interesting and relevant.” (Maxwell, 2000, p. 36) . It should therefore have objectivity in its presentation. To be objective is defined by the Oxford Online Dictionary as “not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in representing facts.” However since this cannot be done, as we all have our biases and perceptions, a journalist in his pursuit of professionalism must be present a balanced and fair presentation of the news.
To be fair as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is to be “consonant with merit and importance.” This means that one must show consistency in his or her presentation of work. Former Curator of The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, Bill Kovach defines of fairness in journalism as “… more than objectivity. It includes honest and balanced judgments in reporting, writing, editing and presentation of news.” So in order to be seen as not being overly influenced or too subjective, journalists must look to present their work as being honest, stating the facts as they happened as well as balanced, i.e. showing as many sides of the story as possible. Journalists are human and as such have a “prism of perception” (Myrick, 2002) and their reporting is a “sum total of all of their prior experiences, socialization, beliefs, and indoctrination” (Myrick, 2002). We are brought up in society and as such must learn the norms and values so that we can assimilate into this institution. Therefore a journalist will have his or her beliefs about several subjects and objectivity by the journalist is impeded by these ingrained qualities and this is shown in his/her work. To be seen as professional, a journalist must state where his or her biases lie. This gives the reader a clear sense of the angle from which a journalist is reporting and enables the reader to make a conscientious analysis of the journalistic piece. Journalists also work in a business. Therefore they must ensure that their pieces whether for print or broadcast journalism must also fit the criteria for news as well generate income to keep the businesses afloat. Myrick in citing Donald Scuhlson notes "Objectivity is a peculiar demand to make of institutions which, as businesses ... are dedicated first of all to economic survival.” (Myrick, 2002). The journalist must therefore look to ensure that even though his/her work is income generating, that it does not appear to be subjective or hold particular bias to a certain ideology. By applying the principles of fairness and balance, the journalist can present a piece which gives several views of a story and as such appeal to a wider audience which aids in their economic survival. Journalists can be seen as being professional in their presentation by speaking for those whose voices need to be heard. In a speech to colleagues, former Curator of The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, Bill Kovach states “Fairness means that journalists should use their skills to give a voice to those who are limited in their ability to speak for themselves, whether poor or rich, powerful or weak, famous or unknown.” (Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard , 2001) This means that even though a journalist may have biases, he/she is able to present pieces that are able to highlight issues to their audience for those who are unable too. Examples of this are the recent victims of Tropical Depression 16 in Jamaica or the Pope on his recent visit to the United Kingdom addressing the issues of the sex scandal and rise of secularism in the West. Values Clarification is important to ensuring that a journalist presents a fair and balanced approach. Values are defined by the Oxford Online Dictionary as a person‘s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life. In clarifying his/her own values, the journalist shows where biases may lie and is able to present the reader with a clearer perspective on his/her angle. Also in clarifying values, journalists help to review the values hierarchy. The values hierarchy establishes how society holds its values and dictates how its members carry out their daily lives. One example of this is in the Christopher “Dudus” Coke affair where there were two views portrayed where those whom he assisted versus those who saw him as a “rogue” criminal. This show the different values held by different members of society.
The public also looks to journalists to be informed in making its decisions. Lawrence K. Grossman in his book, The Electronic Republic--Reshaping Democracy in the Information Age notes “ the rise of "utterly irresponsible, scandal-driven, sensationalist tabloid and television press" is totally unacceptable since, among other injuries, it inhibits citizens' ability to "make sound and reasoned judgments,” As a result we see public perception of events as being influenced not by the facts but based on the influences exerted and presented by those who report the news. Nevertheless journalists in their quest for professionalism must present all the facts of the report as well as give the audience insight into what all parties involved are thinking. In this way, there is a balanced presentation which leads to a better informed audience in their decision making. We can therefore conclude that even though objectivity is impossible to achieve, journalists can still be seen as professional in their presentation by giving the audience a fair and balanced account of events. They can appeal to the audiences by stating the angles from which they are reporting, using theirs as a voice for those who are voiceless, by applying the principles of fairness and balance and clarifying their values which will lead the audience making better decisions as they are better informed.