My Personal Code

While my views have changed greatly due to Dr. Cressman and the lessons taught unto me, I understand my views and beliefs still stand strong. As I said in the beginning of the semester, I believe first and foremost that journalists are the people that seek out the truth that society needs to know. Our society cannot thrive without the knowledge of what is going on in the world. With that, they need journalists. Furthermore, journalists are there to discover factual and important information. Lately, society finds entertainment like “Brangelina” or “Balloon Boy” far more interesting than the Health Care Bill or the swine flu epidemic. Journalists are brought to inform others of what they need to know, rather than what they want to know or find interesting and funny. Overall, journalists need to be truthful, accurate, objective, and fair. And while these are all admirable and necessary qualities of journalists, they also need to have the heart and the hunger for news and information. Without a doubt, I can testify that I have the heart and the will-power to set out to find the story every day of my career.

In addition, journalism is the process of informing society in many different types of medium. Journalism will never cease to exist because it is, in fact, in the Constitution. Journalism also is a system of protecting of our society, a watchdog if you will. We are there to keep an eye on the government and powerful institutions that like to take control and abuse their powers. We have the chances to investigate and inform the helpless of the powerful’s wrong-doings.

Lastly, I will conduct myself as a professional in all situations. I will make sure to be fair and never be biased. I will protect the world of wrong-doings by the powerful and help the weak. The community that I will be informing deserves to hear both sides of the story, and that goes for the rest of the world. I truly value the profession, I have learned many things that I did not know previously. I am grateful for the opportunities I have at this institution to grow and better inform myself, so I can better inform others.

Citizen Journalism

Citizen Journalism kind of freaks me out. Citizen Journalism, as described verbatim by Jay Rosen, is "when the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another." This sounds good, because recently citizens have gotten information out to the media even before the news cameras and reporters can. For example, people already were tweeting and posting videos of when the plane crashed into the Hudson River, simply because they were in the right place at the right time, with their camera phone. Sounds innovative, right? Well what about the journalists that have been in tons of school and preparation to be the best journalists they can be, with the competition of citizen journalists at their feet? How much experience do the citizen journalists have under their belt? It's trivial competition that is starting to have the draining effect on professional journalists. I don't find it fair that citizen journalists can be reimbursed for a story just because they were in the right place at the right time?! Do I need to pick another profession? That is the topic that is stuck in my brain all day.