First Blogging Assignment: Commenting on the Journalist's Creed
Think carefully about the state of the world in 2018 and the role of the news. In a COMMENT on this post, explain what aspects of this creed are still essential in today's journalism OR add to the creed to update it to the 21st century (remember that it was written over 100 years ago). Make sure you explain why Walter Williams' beliefs are still relevant or why something new must be added.
It's important that you read through your classmates' ideas before posting. You can agree or disagree with previous comments as well as build off of them as you develop this digital conversation. You shouldn't all be posting in isolation.
In my opinion, most of The Journalist's Creed still applies today. The first "I believe" statement, "I believe in the profession of journalism", obviously still reigns true as the profession is thriving today. Most people today trust the news to give them real information, especially now that we have so many outlets to get it. Everyday we hear worldwide news, whether it be through the grapevine or through an app or television. We rely on this information to be true, and when we find out something isn't, there's usually plenty of outrage. One thing in the Creed that I don't agree with is "I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true." If you're writing things that you believe are true you could possess a strong bias that comes across in writing. A journalist should write a story without bias, talking about the hard facts rather than their opinion about them. Another thing that I don't think is true is that you should write only what you would say politely. Opinion journalism is all about open and blunt opinions, and if you wouldn't say it in a conversation it could possibly be better to explain it through writing, to unleash your full opinion rather than just a watered-down version of it. I especially think that the last paragraph of the Creed is true. Journalism is all about truth, in what you're writing and in the way you write it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that most of these statements still apply to journalism in the current day, however, some of them are very simple and inflexible. Such as the fourth "I believe" statement that says, "I believe that a journalist should write only what he holds in his heart to be true". This is clearly something that should not apply to every aspect of journalism. For some forms of writing this could be true, such as in an opinion piece, but other than that it doesn't apply very well. A journalist needs to be able to talk about pure facts when it's not an opinion piece, in respect to the readers who aren't looking for one person's opinion on the daily news. Most of what Williams said still applies to current day journalism in the sense that "a public journal is a public trust" and how "clear thinking and clear statement" are crucial to journalism. Clear thinking and statement allow for readers to know exactly what they want to know without it being clouded over by the writer's opinions and side thoughts. Whether it's an article or an interview, journalists must always keep their minds open and write the facts when necessary, which is not always what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteI believe that since Walter Williams wrote this creed most of it still applies today. One thing that is still the same today is when he said " clear thinking and clear statement, accuracy and fairness are fundamental" The overall point that Williams is trying to make is to write what inspires you which in most cases is true, but like Madeline said it can lead to the piece being bias. In this creed it also states that public trust is a big part of being a journalist. This has changed throughout the year since many of the sources we go to find information ends up being false or exaggerated just for publicity. Unlike when he wrote this technology has to over the world of journalism and this lead to being many false pieces. I personally think that most of Walters aspects are still related to the world of journalism today and that more people should stick to these rules. I believe that most journalist should stay true with what they are writing and that is what the creed says.
ReplyDeleteI believe that most of the statements can still be applied today. this is partly because they are just rules that everyone should follow, whereas some are a little more far fetched. For example, the third statement " I believe that clear thinking and clear statements, accuracy and fairness are fundamentals to good journalism." This can applied to any work of journalism because it has to fair, honest, and clear. Like he said in the statement, that these are the fundamentals of journalism. On the other hand, the statement "I believe that a journalist should only write what he holds in his heart to be true." I feel that if the journalist has to write something that is a complete lie, he shouldn't write it, but just because he doesn't agree with it or doesn't like what he is writing, he still should write it. Overall, I think the point of the statements was to try to help journalist who are just starting off, differ from whats right and wrong when writing, but I believe that some of these statements would not be good advice in today's world.
ReplyDeleteTo my way of thinking, many of the proclamations stated in the Journalists creed have continued to be applicable today. As Walter Williams has these constant beliefs in what journalism should consist of, these have been commonly replicated in current acts. As he states," I believe that a journalist should write only what he believes in his heart to be true". This assertion is wrapped around the idea that when one constructs their writing based off of what they surmise, it will overall create an informative piece. He is right in the sense that we are all obligated to our individual opinions, and these opinions and views are what make up the art of journalism. Journalism is the essential art of conveying a variation of news, opinions, and stories shown through a variety of provided media. Journalism is responsible for the spreading of current and past ideas. All of these so called ideas cannot all be based from your opinion. The creed essentially explains, that one needs to be able to furnish a clear and precise piece , providing the needed information and the clear facts. Many of these stated perspectives, have affected the way in which journalism is constructed today. We have still brought these essential rules throughout the society. The general vision of this creed, has constructed how we know what is happening around the world and how even the places we haven't heard of can have a ripple affect.
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ReplyDeleteAs previously mentioned in several of the comments above, I think that the majority of the creed's content is still applicable today. The commitment to accuracy and informing the public are two of the statements I think are most relevant. It is clear that Walter Williams has influenced modern news writers and was extremely passionate about preserving the profession of 'good journalism'. However, some of his statements are outdated and could be amended. For example, Williams explains how a journalist should only write what he believes to be true in his heart but I think that journalists have to gather facts by analyzing multiple perspectives. Despite this, there are places where personal thoughts are acceptable, such as opinion articles. Also, there are a couple of statements that could be added to the creed in order to update to 2018 standard. I especially think there should be a couple of statement addressing social media. When Williams wrote the creed, there was no internet or social media. These online features are both positive and negative. They can help faster spread news to more people in a variety of ways. Advanced pictures and videos can also be incorporated as well. Despite this, the internet also has it's draw backs. For example, not everything you read online is true and it is easy to spread rumors or lies that can get out of hand very quickly. Citing sources and detailed research is extremely important in today's day in age. Overall, I think there are some minor adjustments that need to be made to William's creed but for the most part, all of the statements are accurate and still practiced today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statements above in that many of the statements written by Williams do still hold true today. I especially agree with the third statement, which as mentioned above says "...accuracy and fairness are fundamental to good journalism." In today's world where there are constantly accusations of fake news, I think that accuracy in journalism is becoming increasingly important. I also agree with the fifth statement that explains how news should not be kept from the public. However, like several other comments said, I do not agree with the fourth statement that journalists should only write what they think is true, because unless it is an opinion article, readers should be given all the facts without partiality. I also strongly agree with the point made in the last statement of how journalism should be "...unmoved by pride of opinion or greed of power... ." Journalists should write for the sole purpose of informing the public about things they find important, not to boost their paycheck. Lastly, similar to what Kathryn said, I think there should be a statement added about the responsibility of journalists to use digital journalism in a way that reflects the statements in the original creed.
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