Many people often wonder what journalism really entails. Could it be a job or a mere report for facts on news that relate to an individual or his surroundings? In this blog we would be looking at journalism; what it is and what it’s not.
Journalism is simply gathering, processing and dissemination of information be it broadcast (tv,radio), print(newspapers,journals) or new media(online). It is a form of writing that deals with informing people about happenings that they might not be aware of. People who write journalism are called journalists and can be found at media houses or institutions.
Journalism may come in the form of news or opinions. In news form, it may come as breaking news example the death of the late musician Ebony was a shock to the citizens of Ghana and thus was very relevant information at that time, feature stories(a detailed look at something interesting which is not breaking news) and also in investigative stories i.e. stories that uncover or reveal information that few people knew. An example of investigative or enterprise story is Anas’ number 12 exposé which sort to bring corruption in the Ghana Football Association(GFA) to light. A good quality of a journalist is curiosity. Good journalists tend to read and investigate or analyze happenings surrounding them and bring these happenings or information to the knowledge of the public whether good or bad thus creating exposure as secrets are brought to light.
Journalism aims at helping to improve the quality of life of people, questioning ongoings in society and to shape the lives of people.
Truthfulness, accuracy, authorship and ideology are some key principles of journalism. In as much as news spreads fast, you can’t have bad news disseminate as a good journalist as it may stain your credibility or reputation. Yes, news has to be catchy but it should relate to the actual news that is being reported. Your news should be accurate. You can’t be reporting old news such as the June 3rd disaster whiles the government’s plan to build a national cathedral is to be brought to the public to set an agenda.
Journalism therefore is both a job and also the report on facts about issues happening in an area.
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