Week 1.
"I know of no human being who has a better time than an eager and energetic reporter." - H.L. Mencken, Journalist.
The first lecture, a great introduction to a vital question: What the heck do we do in this course?
What is Journalism and Communication?
According to Philip Graham, publisher of the Washington Post, "Journalism is the first rough draft of history". An accurate quote, but it needs a little expansion. Enter Henry Anatole Grunwald:
"Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air."
What the two quotes agree on is that Journalism is first on the scene when it comes to history: It states immediately what it is seeing to get a truthful interpretation, and refines itself later.
Journalism faces some difficult obstacles ahead, with an unlikely enemy and ally being technology. Is it causing the death of newspapers? Is it also advancing Social media, thus allowing citizens to become journalists? Granted, this allows news to arrive faster, but also removes a lot of potential stories for journalists, in essence giving them less of a job. Worst of all, there is also the ugliest abomination to rear it's ugly head: Yellow journalism entertainment news. Even typing those words down makes me want to feel disgust: we see this offence to Journalism far too often, and what is also infuriating and frustrating to me is that 'stars' generate lots of publicity and attention from these. Behold, the most frequently used face in yellow journalism:
Yes, Kim Kardashian. the Krippling Kontroversial waste of space and also a knife in Journalism: Entertainment news.
Finishing off the lecture, which after explaining the threats to journalism gave lots of helpful information that has no place in this blog, they reminded us of one thing:
"You are the Journalist."
Charlie Morris.
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