The Major Changes to Journalism - Essay Example

s s of Introduction Over the past few years, Journalism has overseen immense transitions and transformations. A few of these transitions can be attributed towards positive trends which led towards democratization of society by virtue of media, while others can still be attributed to the commercialization of media and journalism which has also brought about various ill-effects. Yet, there is no second opinion on the fact that journalism indeed acts as a fourth pillar of the society i.e. it plays the role of watchdog and thereby keeps a check on the government. However, with the advancement in technology and advent of social media, the trend has further undergone immense changes. That is, the concept of democratic journalism has paved way into the academic jargon of the subject matter; implying that social media platforms tend to be launch-pads for such trend which then make news and influence journalists in dramatic ways. Therefore, it would be imperative to see the evolution of journalism from the era of Watergate scandal to the social media age to see how the subject matter and the professionalism in the field has expanded and moved forward (Starkey 2004: 5). Therefore, the paper will aim at exploring how journalism emerged as a forward-moving discipline and how the journalists in the field faced immense challenges and turbulences to bring the discipline where it stands today. Furthermore, the paper will explore how issues like media financing, advertising and political affiliations have impacted the field and therefore, how journalism has impacted democratic developments. Prior to analyzing the evolutionary phases of journalism in the past 40 years, and its contribution towards democracy; it is critical to understand the scope and nature of the discipline of journalism. Journalism incorporates the gathering and processing of news while including dissemination of news and information. Furthermore, journalism may also be understood in context to reporting, editing, writing, photography and even broadcasting of news as part of the business of an organization. Another perspective deals with the academic aspects whereby journalism stands for the coursework which prepared the students for intriguing careers in news writing and broadcasting, even editing. Similarly, considering the opinion formation function of journalism, it may also be understood as thought provoking and research oriented composition which is reflected via newspapers, print media and more recently even the social media. However, the feedback mechanisms must also not be truncated from the scope of journalism since it also impacts the content and manipulation of journalistic devices being used. Furthermore, journalism is quite a generic term while just like any other discipline; it is further sub-branched into various genres. For instance, political journalism has evolved after the second world war, where reporters and journalist spent a great deal of time and effort on political reporting. Similarly, entertainment industry has also evolved over time which has paved way for light journalism commenting of Hollywood associated new story. Also, with instances like Watergate scandal, investigative journalism has also been embraced as an intriguing branch of journalism. Therefore, with specialization in niches and advanced degrees in journalistic devices and genres, the scope of journalism has been expanded widely to cover almost all aspects of human life and society. Also, with the trend towards democratization of society, the need to free media and vigorous journalism was imperative which explains how the evolution in democracy as well as journalism has gone hand in hand. Body Though the ideal version of journalism as a facilitator and a change agent favoring democracy involves processes like ensuring professionalism in journalistic enterprises, ensuring political neutrality and the incorporation of independent and impartial commercial values; yet the reality is contrary to what is expected. Therefore, the proponents of democracy often also lobby for freedom of media and minimum government regulation in media practices. In other words, the neo-liberal world order which prevails in the global political as well as economic scenario also has its roots in journalism. To ensure democratic values and economic progress as a pre-requisite for democracy, capitalistic values are advocated by the citizens. Therefore, naturally media also followed the lead and demanded for minimum government regulation and incorporated practices where the central policy of the media conglomerates were the guiding principles of these journalistic devices. Though the practice of media freedom is relatively new, yet the concept has its roots way back into the history. For instance, when the constitution of USA was drafted, a need was felt to include journalistic aspect as well. Therefore, the first amendment was conceived which openly lobbies a free press, thereby paving way for competitive journalistic practices. However, in spirit, since USA was quite politicized during the era, almost every aspect of business including journalism was politicized and thus, room for media freedom was limited (Scammel & Semetko 2000: 21). In this context, it is worth mentioning that evening the other side of the prism, i.e. the socialists and communism, even Karl Marx himself (who was also a journalist) lobbied for a free press though he was otherwise favoring regulated market phenomena (MNair 2000: 12). Therefore, it won`t be an exaggeration to state that journalism is central to all kinds of societies and state, irrespective of ideological inclinations. Yet, in context to democracy, the true ideals or rather the pre-requisites for this system of governance and this ideology can`t be perceived without incorporating professional journalism. Further moving towards the nineteenth century, the journalistic practices were clearly inclined towards economic pretexts; where the journalistic tools were being exploited to reap profits and acquiring largest advertising base. The commercial practices in journalism were carried forward to the twentieth century as well, though by the mid-twentieth century, various critiques on journalism were floating, for instance, reformists and revolutionists like socialists, abolitions, feminists, unionists and even the radicals were all competing for space for their opinions via journalistic devices, indirectly paving way for democratic ideals. This was the era when the journalistic capital was condensed into a handful of influential groups and individuals; while journalistic practices were leaving a lasting impacting on the lives of the masses by shaping their opinions. Furthermore, the economics involved in the journalism industry were quite complex where the newspapers were relying on advertisements to survive. In this context, small yet independent media houses were finding it quite impossible to compete with the market which was killing the very spirit of free press. Similarly, various magazines and electronic media were also powerhouses to attract profits via placing advertisements. In this scenario, though democratic movement around the globe had acquired acceptance yet in true sense the accurate information wasn’t being reached to the audience. Yet, the industry had taken a step forward by employing progressive journalistic techniques for reporting and even information gathering. However, the trend which was favoring commercial and thus unethical practices in the journalism industry eventually starting shifting away from commercial protection for journalists. With the advancement in education and exposure to diverse opinions, it was being realized that the true essence of democracy lies in the articulation of these diverse opinions by engaging in political dialogue, for which, portrayal of true picture of politics and society was necessary. Therefore, journalists were also being pressured into incorporating the concept of public responsibility into journalistic practices to play their part towards strengthening the resolve of democracy. Another significant development in the era was the active role that the judiciary played in keeping a check on the journalistic practices. As the media ventures grew and journalists start taking interest in progressive and bold news stories as a reaction to the democratic progression, all eyes were fixated on how the powers of the journalistic devices would be checked. Therefore, the Supreme Court started giving verdicts against libel and slander, for instance, in 1964 Supreme Court Decision on New York Times V Sullivan was decided whereby strict checks on libel and slander were imposed. This implies that the journalistic scrutiny of public servants and even public figures became difficult, thus posing various challenges for journalists. Therefore, as the democratic resolve started acquiring pace in the society, the challenges for journalists also grew simultaneously. In this context, a very significant even which took place in the mid-twentieth century must be discussed since it changed the face of journalism and revealed the true strength of journalism. During the era, journalism was being considered more of an academic career whereby journalists were engaged in research and reporting facts as new stories. However, one significant event triggered the interest of many towards journalism, since investigative journalism was conceived as a consequence of media trial which took place by virtue of the event. The event being referred here is the Watergate Scandal which directly or indirectly pressurized President Nixon of USA into facing a public trial. The Watergate scandal occurred in 1970s after the much talked about break-in at the Democratic National Committee office situation in the Watergate complex, Washington (Street 2011: 13). After the conspiracy was revealed, President Nixon tried tooth and nail to cover-up the scandal, yet it paved way towards further investigation. The entire array of clandestine activities which took place on the watch of President Nixon were revealed where the President ended up resigning on allegations of abuse of presidential power which was a huge blow to him, yet a huge advancement to journalism. Since the media coverage demanded a rigorous attitude and an investigative vigor, where journalists took up the role of agents while digging up for new information from various sources. Therefore, journalism undertook a new dimension and the genre of investigative journalism became so popular that various new reports dedicated to uncovering stories as a result of investigative journalism started taking up a lot of space into print as well as electronic media. Also, various prestigious awards (e.g. Pulitzer Award) were also conceived to honor the vigor of investigative journalism (Jhonson 2012: 41). Therefore, this was a new era for investigative journalism, a dimension never heard of before. Furthermore, as more and more journalists started engaging themselves in challenging fields like investigative journalism, a media revolution took place where almost every issue of political nature was under scrutiny by the media. Therefore, by virtue of expert analysts, policy experts and journalists who had acquired expertise in digging up news stories, professional approach got intertwined with journalism where newer topics of discussion were acquiring importance. This transition phase was one of the most interesting phases in the history of journalism, where Watergate scandal had left a mark of journalistic practices. The new trend focused on decision regarding Vietnam war to the Iraq war, questioning the decision making about the expected costs of these decisions whereby arguing over ideology and rationality behind choices. Therefore, in this era where investigations and fair scrutiny was being ensured over issues ranging from environmental degradation to Wall Street happenings, the democratic resolve was also being strengthened. Not only were the masses being reported on the accurate news stories, but also were they being informed about the diverse opinions on the issues. This contributed towards articulation of viewpoints where journalistic industry was also acting as a reform agent offering direction to the decision makers and politicians as dictated by the masses. Furthermore, as the twentieth century reached to its closure, investigative reporting wasn’t just limited to politics and power dimensions any more; in fact it had taken on almost all aspects of social life. (Romano 2010: 15-16) In other words, the trend had now shifted towards more murkier and fascinating news stories where journalistic scoops were focusing on business and education to finance and social welfare. So much so that topics like sports and culture were also being addressed from the eye of an investigative journalists. Following the trend, the journalistic accolades and awards were no more just being filtered towards hardcore journalistic storytellers, in fact diversity and boldness was being encouraged. Though media was now indulged into newer challenges where many media figures and bold journalists were quite unpopular in a few circles, journalism had now transformed into the fourth pillar of society in its true sense. The competition, therefore, was not limited to acquiring advertisements; in fact, those media conglomerates who were more democratic in its endeavors and who held those in power accountable were being taken seriously, and thus were gaining momentum in terms of ratings (Daniel 2009: 9). Therefore, in this context, Jon Marshall offered an intriguing comment saying, ‘Watergate “shaped the way investigative reporting is perceived and practiced and how political leaders and the public respond to journalists.” (Curran 2011: 17) This statement can`t be perceived as an exaggeration since the rules of the game of journalistic game had actually been tailored to the democratic needs of the society and the strong resolve of the masses to get the most accurate and the most impactful story. Therefore, the journalists were now required to be experts not just in a broad field of journalist, in fact in their own niches to offer distinct content and professional opinion. However, in addition to expertise, having access to credible yet resourceful sources had also become the key to being a successful journalist. However, the business had itself become daunting, political and quite challenging in its endeavor since protecting the confidentiality of one`s source had become crucial to the job of the journalist. In addition to the challenges and prospects regarding evolution of journalism listed above, there is immense competition in terms of credibility as well which quite a healthy development in context to democracy. Not only should a journalist have backing of influential sources, but also multiple sources at hand, which further intensifies his role as an investigative agent. Therefore, journalism must have official documents, must follow the money track, also determine a pattern via details earned to design a reliable new story followed by an active media trial of those charges guilty. Classic investigative tools and techniques like rigorous questioning, following tracks and patterns and even interrogation at various points has have become central to reporting and journalism. Therefore, the journalist of the modern times is indeed an under-cover agent as well who is consistently involved in the struggle to unveil new facts and reveal new information. However, yet another trend again transformed this well developed nexus of major stakeholders of industry who had now become prone and used to the idea of investigative journalism. Present day journalism has paved way towards web dependent journalism which has given a whole new dimension to the industry, at the same time paving way for smaller media houses to gain space and acquire profits. Social media journalism has driven the trend away from merely investigative journalism towards citizen journalism, a field which has its own set of challenges and opportunities (Bryer 2012: 51). With an internet connection and a set of opinions, anyone can become a journalist where the only judge is the online audience which behaves in an unpredictable manner legitimizing anyone to qualify for being a journalist given that the context produced by them has the potential to be viral. This concept has paved way for democratic journalism which implies that the online audience themselves set trends via online digital media forums which not only acts as a feedback mechanism for mainstream news stories but also make news stories which the journalists then flash on their media channels and newspapers. Therefore, the democratic transition in this context has taken a whole new shape where the public opinion doesn’t merely impact the decision makers and the media influencers, rather they themselves act as producers and directors by trending what they feel must take up most space on the media (Borge & Cardenal 2012: 27). Therefore, the true essence of democracy i.e. ‘by the people, for the people and of the people’ has literally become dominating thereby enhancing the democratic status of the society. Though the influence is limited in terms of scope since the social media audience only trends about a certain topics of interests, it would be wrong to assume that the mainstream media has lost its vigor (Singh 2011: 31). However, in the true sense, social media has emerged as yet another journalistic device which offers a vigorous scrutiny on the journalistic industry, thereby posing its own challenges and offering immense opportunities to further democratic interests of the nations as well. Conclusion Therefore, conclusively, the journalism has taken immense transformation in the last forty years, where both positive as well as negative developments have taken place in context to democratic transitions. Though earlier, journalism was merely the device of the powerful who had the power to mould the media into the kind of shape they require. The political interests as well as the economic dependence of media conglomerates had drastically limited the journalistic practices where the true function of journalism as the democratic ideal for the nations was being belittled. However, with time, public responsibility in context to freedom of press and democratic commitments were being realized and a shift towards scrutiny of public officials was initiated. However, two events changed the entire landscape of the industry. Firstly, the Watergate Scandal triggered the interest of many individuals towards journalism, since investigative journalism was conceived as a consequence of media trial which took place by virtue of the event where President Nixon had to face a media trial, which further legitimized the power of journalism as a democratic tool. Secondly, the advent of social media turned the space around and put a check on the journalistic industry by offering a feedback on the mainstream journalism. Therefore, the current face of journalism which is true defender of democracy and takes up the function of active articulation of diverse opinions came into being after a long hard struggle. Bibliography BORGE, R., & CARDENAL, A. S. (2011). Surfing the Net: A Pathway to Participation for the Politically Uninterested? Policy & Internet. 3, 1-29. BRYER, T. A. (2011). Online Public Engagement in the Obama Administration: Building a Democracy Bubble? Policy & Internet. 3, 1-22. CURRAN, J. (2011). Media and democracy. Oxford, Routledge. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=360525. DANIEL, M. L. (2009). Scandal & civility journalism and the birth of American democracy. Oxford, Oxford University Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=259873. JOHNSON, M. P. (2012). Reading the American past: selected historical documents. Boston, Bedford/St. Martins. MCNAIR, B. (2000). Journalism and democracy an evaluation of the political public sphere. London, Routledge. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=69619. ROMANO, A. R. (2010). International journalism and democracy: civic engagement models from around the world. New York, Routledge. SCAMMELL, M., & SEMETKO, H. A. (2000). The Media, journalism and democracy. Aldershot, Ashgate. SINGH, A. (2011). Journalism and democracy. Jaipur, Prateeksha Publications. STARKEY, G. (2007). Balance and bias in journalism: representation, regulation and democracy. Basingstoke, [England], Palgrave Macmillan. STREET, J. (2011). Mass media, politics and democracy. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. Read More