Importance of Political Journalism - Assignment Example

Running Head: Political Journalism Dоssiеr of Rеsроnsеs tо Соursе Quеstiоns Name Institution Date Dоssiеr of Rеsроnsеs tо Соursе Quеstiоns 1. Why is political Journalism Important? As described by Campaign Media (2012), political journalism is important since it serves the purpose of informing citizens with deeper knowledge of what is happening in the political arena of a country or the whole world. Political journalism is usually well researched by political journalists who work using research insights about the political system of a country before reporting. It is important to note that, without political journalism, communities and citizens cannot be well informed about civic affairs that allow them participate in such affairs. Political journalism provides citizens with information about campaigns as well as candidates, government as well as governance, tactics as well as strategies of politics used by politicians, and policy issues that are applicable in the political arena. Political journalism should be considered important because the reporters who are political journalists serve the purpose of watchdogs to ensure that there is honest in governance, in campaigns as well as seeking to emphasize their reporting issues of their importance to the society as a whole. Brewer (2012) argues that, political journalism is an important aspect of democratic reporting whereby political journalists have the responsibility for informing the public on political debates to enable them make decisions that are knowledgeable. Political journalism enables the public to listen to information from politicians, and present their claims to politicians by ensuring that electorate concerns are listened to, considered and where necessary the best action is taken. Therefore, in the political system, political journalism acts serves to act on behalf of the public for the purpose of ensuring that politicians perform their jobs that they were elected for. Political journalism is important since it explores and covers most of the issues that are of concern to the readers as well as listeners of the presented information. This ensures that they present information which is well researched and that can be relied up on by the public. Political journalism ensures that, there is inclusion of different voices as well as political opinions in reporting information for the purpose of offering the richest as well as the coverage which is complete as much as possible. This is an important aspect of reporting that ensures that political journalists offers journalism which is aimed at enhancing understanding as well as encouraging dialogue and debate. Political journalism is important since it helps in the better, healthy and fair functioning of the society. The reason is that, people find it difficult for a government to exist without reporting. It is even contended that, political journalists are important than politicians. Political journalism helps in achieving a clear relationship that exist between journalists and politicians. This relationship can have an impact which is significant to the fair and just functioning of the society. It is true that, politicians usually make decisions as well as take action on public’s behalf. Political journalism serves to scrutinize these decisions after which, it reports their implications to the public. Here, political journalism acts as channel or a go between that the public and politicians communicate (Brewer, 2012). 2. Does Political Journalism Illuminate Or Obscure The Political Process? According to Entman (2010), political journalism is seen to illuminate the political process due the presence of bias in political reporting. Political bias such as liberal bias, conceptualizing connections, framing biases, skill biases, slant biases and decision biases are used by political journalists while reporting. Political journalists are found to frame their political reports to favour one side over another where there exist disputes in politics. The reason for report results that are framed in a slanting manner is due to political journalists interacting with the developments in the real world, cultural norms as well as journalist rules of decision making together with proficient efforts of elites that are competing to effectively manage the political news. It is evident that, political journalists can slant the framing of political information that shifts from time to time with changes in political interactions. Due to political bias, political journalists end up illuminating the political process by producing political news that is unbalanced. As demonstrated by Rosen (2012), political journalists exploit the need to credit their political acumen irrespective of the need for reporting accurately. This draws away the confidence that the public have on political journalists since they are no longer telling the truth. Reporting the truth in political journalism has become irrelevant to many political journalists. Political journalists are today claiming that, it is their job to hold political candidates to some modicum of reality. Political journalists are no longer interested in reporting the truth, what they target is a routine that must be maintained of scoring points on daily basis, landing blows, ensuring that any little advantage is seized and then make it work for their side. This is all about showing how political journalists are savvy. Being savvy in political journalism is considered as the first commandment of political journalists to ensure that politics climate is humming. Political journalists belief that, in politics, it is better to be savvy than being honest, correct, fair, civilized, sincere, good, decent, strictly lawful or even humane on the facts. They base their reports in praising their political acumen while on the other side, questions and context of accuracy are left out. Rosen (2012) demonstrate that, liberal bias among political journalists has become a trend of reporting political news. Even though many political journalists claim to be practicing neutrality, they are liberals and usually weave this ideology when reporting political news to illuminate the political process. This leads to public mistrust in the media. Since political journalists have learnt what the public needs to read and listen to, they are mostly targeted to reporting based on this notion of telling the public what they really want to know. They end up not reporting much political information that could help the public in making civil decisions. Powerful politicians are seen to devote massive resources for political journalists to advance their interests precisely by trying to impose such kind of patterns on communications that are mediated. Political journalists end up illuminating the classic questions of politics (Entman, 2010). 3. Do Journalists Shape The Way That The Public Thinks About Politics? Yes, journalists usually shape the way that the public thinks about politics. This statement is greatly supported by McNair (2011) who argued that, political journalists do not report political news objectively, thoroughly and fairly. Their attention is highly based on substance and policy which is less considerate of style as well as personality. This makes people end up having a negative view of politics and political parties as well as the government as a whole. It is true that, politics today has become more of a media centric activity which is driven by and focuses on the need for providing real time news all the time. Politicians are using journalists through the TV, Internet, cable and satellite channels to portray their specific intended information to the public. Political journalism is seen as tearing people and political parties’ reputations apart. It is said to be a sport of hunters within which politicians are the victim. Political journalists portray politicians as people who should not be trusted. The reason is that, politicians are considered by political journalists as people who speak with tongues that are forked. Entman (2010) argue that, the way in which political journalists frame their political news reports is well tailored to luer the thinking of the public about politics. These journalists usually shape and alter interpretations of audience members as well as preferences by a way of priming. Their aim of framing in such a way is for the purpose of introducing or raising importance which is salient or apparent of ideas that are certain, thereby activating schemes that are aimed at encouraging the targeted audience to think, feel as well as decide about politics in a particular manner. Political journalists portray political news as news that are concerned about policy making as well as leadership selection. Therefore, when the public are engaged in politics, they only think of policy making and selection of leaders. Political journalists view the public as just voters who need information to make voting decisions. Therefore, they present limited political news that are only based on political events. The public is viewed negatively by political journalists as not having time for much information and they only need to be told what they want to hear. When reporting political news, political journalists only focus on the news that the public would want to hear. To influence the public, political journalists only focus on political matters that require immediate attention. Political journalists present politics in relation to how elections will be like, this information is intended to trigger the citizen to make a decision for voting. Political journalists understand very well the extent to which voters usually seek information. The public usually seek political information to help them in making an informed decision Therefore, when reporting, political journalists only focus on information which is tailored for helping in decision making. Political news are tailored to inform the public of how their status will be affected by a political event or the influence of political decisions on tax bills. 4. Is The Relationship Between Journalists and Politicians Collaborative Or Adversarial? Macias (2012) argue that, an adversary relationship between political journalists and politicians occur when the journalist seeks to achieve his or her professional duty to uncover the truth of politics that lies behind the allowed form. This relationship requires political journalists to consider themselves as holding political power which is special that has the responsibility for responding to the audience who have the right to know. In this relationship, the journalist acts as a watchdog with the main goal of providing a service of surveillance to the public. A collaborative relationship between political journalists and politicians on the other hand is one that the journalists must work together with the politicians to cover the politicians in the event of conflict. Journalists are seen to completely subordinate to politicians not to uncover political information that the public must know. The relationship between the two parties must remain collaborative; otherwise there will be conflicts between the two. It is considered to be a relationship of convenience. The political arena clearly demonstrates a collaborative relationship between politicians and political journalists (Macias, 2012). Here, the two works together, they collaborate and stay engaged for mutual interest to use one another. This relationship is what is causing much of the political information to be shaded and being determined by this kind of relationship. This kind of relationship results to political journalists shifting from cheer leaders to obsessive hunters of mistakes while politicians shift form silence which is sepulchral to seeking attention. The collaborative relationship between politicians and political journalists has increased the need for politicians to increase the need for news organisations for the purpose of publicising themselves, pass their messages, create as well as maintain their political popularity and weaken the any criticism towards them as much as possible. The collaborative relationship feeds from conveniences as well as pressures that are mutual between the two parties. They depend on each other to give sense to their activities, if not there will be chaos, when journalists acts as judges who have the responsibility of censuring anything while the politicians acts with impunity, there is no credibility between the two at all (Davis, 2009). They exchange political information for the purpose of news coverage. Here they have to collaborate to ensure the political journalist only reports what is relevant to the politician’s interest. Public interest when reporting is never considered in this kind of relationship between the politicians and political journalists. Politicians also use political news from journalists for the purpose of getting other information which is relevant to the day to day political process. Politicians and journalists are seen to combine in alliances for the purpose of influencing political agendas as well as searching for policy solutions. To ensure that they survive, political journalists have the task of cultivating for protectors within the State as well as political elites. They must select carefully the battles that they face regularly since they understand well the conflicts are not rewarding at all. Therefore, to maintain harmony, journalists must grow the tendency to avoid any criticism that can occur about the politicians (Brown, 2011). References Brewer, D. (2012). The Relationship Between Journalists and Politicians: Avoiding Editorial Manipulation. Media Helping Media. Brown, R. (2011). Mediatization and News Management in Comparative Institutional Perspective. In Brants, Kees and Katrin Voltmer. Political Communication in Postmodern Democracy. Challenging the Primacy of Politics. UK: Palgrave McMillan. Campaign Media. (2012). Political Reporting: Covering Elections, Governance And The Democratic Process. Journalist Resource. Davis, A. (2009). Journalist-Source Relations, Mediated Reflexivity and the Politics of Politics. Journalism Studies, 10(2). Entman, R. (2010). Media Framing Biases and Political Power: Explaining Slant in News of Campaign 2008. Journalism. 11: 389. Macias, R. (2012). Change and continuity in Mexican Journalism: The Case of Morelia. The University of Leeds. McNair, B. (2011). When the Sideshow Becomes the Main Game. Academic Rigour Journalist Flair. Rosen, J. (2012). Everything That’s Wrong with Political Journalism in One Washington Post Item. Press Think. Rosen, J. (2012). Rosen’s Trust Puzzler: What Explains Falling Confidence in the Press? Press Think. Read More