The unique characteristic of journalism these days makes defining journalism a little bit more difficult today. Journalism is more than the typically celebrated, famous, mainstream entity of The New York Times or CNN News. I am now a journalist. This blog is journalism. YouTube is journalism.
The exciting part is that, because we (assuming that those reading my blog are Americans) have the First Amendment, we have the freedom to express ourselves through all sorts of methods. (Special Note for the those who never paid attention in school: The First Amendment is that handy, albeit sometimes complicated, part of the Constitution that grants Americans the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.) Regular people can have their voices heard and are also given the power to have influence through their rights assured them in the First Amendment. I have the freedom to petition against “The Man” (once I actually find out who “The Man” is) and I can stop whatever bogus he tries to enforce. I like to picture that this is how it looks…
Except instead of me sucker-punching The Man who tries to oppress right and stuff, I am taking him down with my deadly wit and blogging skills…
All the same, exciting as this is, it can also be terrifying. Like Peter Parker said in the 2002 Spider-Man movie staring Tobey Maguire, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” The awesome nature of the internet has made it increasingly easier to be heard, but you must be careful about believing what you read. If anyone can post it, it does not make it true. With this power Spider-Man/Peter Parker is referencing (let’s be honest… Spider-Man is a far more credible and cooler source than his alter ego Peter Parker because he can shoot webs and swing from buildings to save Mary Jane), we not only have the power to post our opinions, but also the power to check sources on what we read and cross-reference material. We must simply accept the responsibility.
All that being said, these new and extensive forms of journalism and the First Amendment rights that protect it, are actually necessary for a democracy. A democracy isn’t just a formal type of government, but it is controlled by those who have the power to speak, write, assemble, etc. And those opinions, the news of what is happening in the world, shape how we govern ourselves. I have the potential power to sway your mood, opinions, judgements and future actions. Partly because of my writing, and partly because my awesome brain-control, which will always beat mind-control. (Go ahead. Check it on the web. Cross-reference. It’s your responsibility to see if I’m trustworthy or not.)
P.S. I was totally kidding about brain control I only wish I was that cool… Credibility still in tact. Boo-yah!
Follow-up Q & A:
ReplyDeleteOn Journalism:
1. Now tell me again, what's your definition of journalism?
2. How many different models of journalism exist today?
On Democracy:
3. What's your definition of democracy?
4. What's the difference between 'election politics' and 'public politics'?
5. What was the Lippmann v. Dewey debate?
On the First Amendment:
6. What does the First Amendment say exactly?
7. Are any of those protections important in your life?
On Diversity:
8. Everybody keeps talking about diversity: Why is diversity in religion, speech, press, assembly and petition so important to a democracy?
9. How do journalists and the First Amendment ensure that people head diverse voices in the marketplace of ideas?
10. Can you speak from personal experience about how diversity, protected by the First Amendment or championed by journalists, made a difference in your life?
Janey-- I like your trademark illustrations, combined with your unique perspective this is a WINNING blog!
ReplyDeleteRock on Janey.
ReplyDeleteTake down the man with your couch pouch.
Nice blog Janey... PS- I love the pictures.
ReplyDeleteBut I must say, I am not sure I agree. Yes, I don't believe that journalism has to be periodicals and news-articles exclusively, but I am not sure that I agree that everything one writes is a journalism. Maybe journalists would disagree... but it doesn't seem right to call a blog or a twitter message journalism. I think at that point you are saying that anything ever written is journalism... and I am not sure that I agree with that. Perhaps if I took JOU 101 I would have a different outlook on that.... just a thought.
Thanks for the perspective Rebecca. The point about Twitter is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou've made a good point here, Janey. Through knowledge, journalism empowers citizens to be in control of their government (hello--that's called a democracy!). And, in a round about way, I think you've also brought up an interesting question...is Journalism going to be necessary for much longer with the advent of the internet? People just google a lot of the things they want to know about. Or youtube it. Or go to blogs they trust.
ReplyDelete