Real News versus Cosmetic News - Report Example

Real news versus Cosmetic news Affiliate The world consists of various media houses. These media houses have diversified their operations to cover a wide source of information and news in print media, television and the internet through their blogs and other social media sites. The news that is intended for the public varies in terms of objective and content. The media industry is flooded with majority of the news agencies reporting on the same issues. It therefore makes it important for various media houses to come up with strategies that would be able to make them have a majority stake in the viewers who have subscribed to the specific channel. The amount of views increases if the news is also captivating in nature. In the quest of making the news to be memorable and captivating majority of the media houses tend to shift their objective from presenting real news into adopting cosmetic news, which in most cases is more captivating than the simple plain and raw facts about a specific topic. Introduction In the world, the type of news citizens receive whether in print or electronic media such as social site or the television has a great influences and impact too them. It is a healthy practice for the news agencies to be more open and transparent when relenting news to the public. The media houses act as key informants based on the researches done before a certain news piece undergoes publication or aired in the bulletin or headlines. The journalists undergo training in various ways. They learn how to present their news to give the people not present in the scene a clear picture of the events that took place at a specific place at a specified time. News pieces that involve various social injustices such as executions, rape or bombings and burning of bodies are always censored to protect the viewers against information that would outwardly conflict with their thoughts and beliefs (Blackall, Harper & Lockyer, 2011). One of the key principles focuses in the journalists’ professional code of conduct is to provide information and news that is true, accurate and has an objective. The practice of providing cosmetic news to make it attractive to the audience only benefits the media houses but is a great disservice to the public. Therefore, the adoption of cosmetic news is a violation of the professional code of ethics adopted by journalists and does not promote transparency in the news process. Various elements contribute towards media influence in various countries. The media plays a very important role in the lives of the people who depend upon it. It therefore becomes important for the media houses to adopt various practices that make the public have an absolute faith and trust in them. The research acknowledges the fact that raw or real news cannot be presented to the public because of the uncertainty in its effects (Craft & Davis, 2013). However, the research also bears in mind that cosmetic news may be out to give a false impression to people of the public that is also something against the professional code of conduct and ethics adopted by the various journalists in the media industry. Principles of Journalism Journalism exists and thrives upon various distinct principles that govern the mode in which various news pieces are presented and presented to the public. With the intention of preserving the truthfulness of the various news pieces, headlines and bulletins, there are several fundamental principles that govern journalism. These principles point to the fact that news items undergo editing to suit the standards expected but not to deviate from the absolute truth of the matter (Ward, 2013). Truth The first obligation that media houses or a journalist has is to give a narration which is true and can be proved. Truth forms an essential foundation through which citizens’ democracy is built upon. It therefore makes it necessary for the audience to receive accurate and reliable facts put in an appropriate context. Emphasis exists on the practical aspect of the events being propagated in various forms to the audience. The process of narrating the truth to the public makes it become the principle aim and it out rightly demystifies the adoption and integration of cosmetic news. The assembly and verification of the facts by the journalist or the media houses is the first step in achieving the truthful narration of the various even (Blackall, Harper & Lockyer, 2011). After the assembly of the fact, the following and most important step involves the language and manner in which the information will be conveyed. The information is to be conveyed in a manner that portrays fairness and reliability of the information content. It should present form of validity that also prompts the listener to conduct research and obtain the necessary information that satisfies their curiosity. The journalist ought to be very transparent about their method of data collection and the sources they have used to obtain the various information so that the public, who are the greatest consumers of the information content, can be able to come up with their own conclusions. The accurate narrations of the news and information relayed to the public is built upon varies principle factors which include debate, content analysis, interpretation, criticism, context and comment (Ward, 2013). Various forums are able to radiate the truth. It is the responsibility of the journalists to present truthful facts and evidences. It becomes important as they encounter more factors and situations that exist in the form of news to the public. Loyalty to Citizens The media sources are responsible and answerable a group of people who depend on the content of the items that have been featured. They also derive the various contents from parties such as advertisers and other key shareholders who also tend to uphold professionalism. The various advertisers and stakeholders may also contribute to jeopardizing of the trust and confidence in the public. The advertisers may approach the relevant media houses and air media that may be false to the public (Mcbride, 2013). IT therefore becomes the sole responsibility of the media houses and the journalists are to make sure that the relevant information sources are accurate. The verification of the type of news therefore makes them protect the allegiance that they have fostered with the members of the public. Real news is a way of showing commitment and loyalty to the citizens of a specified country. The particular commitment is a way of proving to the public about the organizational credibility, which portrays the fact that the news was not intended to cater for the interests of the advertisers or a specified group of people, but intended for the whole country. Real news implies that majority of the people in the society should be highlighted and not specific group should be marginalized. It should be an actual representation of the real facts affecting majority of the members in the society and not a specified elite group. Majority of the media houses operate on the belief that cosmetic news builds a loyal and broad audience which in turn have a direct relationship with economic success (Craft & Davis, 2013). The media houses should have a strong policy against exploitation by the business people who may tend to air something that may be misleading to the public using the specified media forms. It I the media houses and the journalists who are responsible for the protection of the citizens as a way of loyalty in ensuring that the data pieces they receive are truthful and accurate. Discipline of verification Majority of the journalists and media houses heavily rely on professional discipline as a way of ensuring that the information they relay is verified. It does not guarantee biasness being practiced by the journalists. The exercise of biasness in various information being collected gives room for the presentation of cosmetic news. Before the information is relayed to the public, efficient practices of testing the information tend to be adopted to test the information to verify its truthfulness and accuracy. The adoption of transparent means to verify the evidence of the relevant data sources becomes fundamental and key to prevent cultural and personal biasness from influencing the accuracy involved in the work. The verification method therefore becomes objective in nature in aiding of the presentation of real news (Hermida, 2010). The presence of standards being observed in the collection and presentation of the news are marked by factor such as obtaining multiple witnesses on the job, making sure that the audience of the intended news piece have an exclusive idea about the sources that have been used and the seeking of comments from the public regarding the particular news item. News regarded as relevant and interesting It remains to be a major topic of concern in the research being conducted. Journalism relies upon how best a story is told to the public and what factors are present to make it captivating. There is always a conflict in the particular section and it therefore becomes the responsibility of the journalists to balance. The balance exists between what the citizens anticipate and expect from the needs that ought to be met. Majority of the successful stories have been gauged based on how the audience has been enlightened by the piece of work and how they have been engaged. It therefore means that majority of the journalists should focus on information that the public finds it interesting and relay it in various forms that may also be captivating to the views of the information (McBride, 2013). It means that the various information that is being relayed to the public must capture various sectors of the economies such as public safety and health as opposed to advertisements and various issues in politics. In the event of striving to capture the various news pieces, it also become so important for the journalists to understand that real news is more effective that cosmetic news The research views cosmetic news as biased news with no absolute intention of maintaining loyalty to the public. The essence of news is to make the audience have an independent mind on the various data sets that are being presented and make a valid decision or conclusion. Transparency may be promoted if viewers are given an opportunity to critic news content and air independent comments through a common platform. In the particular way, the interests of the various media houses and the public will have been safe guarded. It therefore becomes important that the journalists and the media houses practice transparency and accuracy in the relaying of information in the various media forms (McBride, 2013). The research acknowledges the fact that cosmetic news may be used as a strategy to win the viewers and readers in the market. However, it insists on using real facts that ca n be tested and proven to win the masses. It condemns the use of cosmetic news since the research views the type of news as false and hiding the true meaning from the audience. References David R. Blackall, B. M. (2011). Making News Today: a tool for adoption of ethics principles using technology¿supported television journalism. Learning, Media and Technology , 277-294. Hermida, A. (2010). TWITTERING THE NEWS. Journalism Practice , 297-308. MCBRIDE, K. (2013). The New Ethics of Journalism : Principles for the 21st Century. New York: CQ Press. Stephanie Craft, C. N. (2013). Principles of American Journalism: An Introduction. New York: Routledge. Ward, S. J. (2013). Global Media Ethics: Problems and Perspectives. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Read More