Some variety of medium are used to disseminate news and
information throughout the world. They include but not limited to books,
newspapers, magazines, cinemas, radios, TVs and internet based channels. Regardless of the kind of media which can be
divided into print media and electronic media, journalists are obliged to consider the
underlined principles of journalism. There are seven principles for good
journalism. I would like to go briefly over
each of them:
- Truth: Journalists need to tell the truth. Each story that a journalist is going to report must be clearly sourced from a reliable outlet. So the people can trust on it and consider it properly. Ir order to achieve this journalists need to check the facts because verification is the essence of journalism.
- Loyalty: People interest
is above all any other interests in journalism. It means that a
journalist must keep a commitment to the public rather than media owners or advertisers. The news should not take a side toward a political view of a party or economical aspect of a sponsor. A journalist must be loyal to the public in general.
- Independent: Journalist must
not be under the shadow of any interest or fear and favor. To keep independent a journalist should use multiple sources and make the report factual and objective. A journalist also could be independent by covering the new in a
comprehensive way and cover the story from different points of view.
- Watchdog: Journalist must be
cautious about the news that affects people. There are many issues that people need to know about and a journalist should be sensitive to those issues,
like tax, social services and etc. In order to keep close observation, a journalist must look at what is going on with the government in this regard.
- Interesting: Journalist
should express its story in an interesting way. It is important to tell something
related to the public but it is also vital to tell that in a way that grabs the
attention of the target audiences.
- Ethics: Journalists are
responsible against what they are saying.
They should be always honest with people. However, it is not always easy especially if a journalist works in a media which has particular interests with regards to some specific issues. But this is a journalist’s obligation to have a sense of ethics for the entire of his job. A journalist must fell guilty conscience
of making any false deliberately.
- Balance: Journalists must cover the newes within overall aspects of
its nature. There are positive and negative news but a journalists should
report every story related to public regardless of its outcome as being
good or not good. Because journalist need to present whatever happens in
the society and people need to know about exciting news and bad incidents
as well.