CattleArmy
Well-known member
Sarah 'Just the Facts, Ma'am' Palin, Hardworking Journo
Posted: 01/23/10
Mia Navarro is a New York Times reporter based in New York
Sarah Palin, who just joined Fox News as a regular commentator, says she wants to "put that journalism degree to work."
Hmm. Exactly what does a journalism degree mean in the case of a politician whose often harsh views of her opponents and of controversial subjects are widely known? (Not to mention someone who has complained that she has been treated unfairly and felt injured by the "elite" media she now joins and has plenty of scores to settle?)
If you're a bleeding heart liberal, or even if you aren't, would you be confident that "Journalist Palin" would represent your own views accurately and fairly after an interview?
Back in the day when I attended journalism school, we were taught how to present the facts, and answer the "what, who, when, where and why," but that wasn't the most important lesson imparted. Above all was the sense of mission in delivering the news to the public in an impartial way so readers and viewers could make informed decisions by themselves.
Of course, journalists often choose the topics they are interested in and the stories they want to cover. That alone makes objectivity an impossible pursuit. But there's such a thing as professionalism, which draws boundaries in pushing personal agendas and imposes ethical responsibilities.
In these times of overnight pundits and bloggers, where everyone and anyone can hang up a shingle claiming to be a journalist, the term has almost become meaningless. Except to the real journalists, whose main job these days, it seems, is trying to distinguish themselves within the "media," and apart from the "Palins" of the world who lay claim to a profession that has been slandered and soiled yet perseveres against all odds.
Posted: 01/23/10
Mia Navarro is a New York Times reporter based in New York
Sarah Palin, who just joined Fox News as a regular commentator, says she wants to "put that journalism degree to work."
Hmm. Exactly what does a journalism degree mean in the case of a politician whose often harsh views of her opponents and of controversial subjects are widely known? (Not to mention someone who has complained that she has been treated unfairly and felt injured by the "elite" media she now joins and has plenty of scores to settle?)
If you're a bleeding heart liberal, or even if you aren't, would you be confident that "Journalist Palin" would represent your own views accurately and fairly after an interview?
Back in the day when I attended journalism school, we were taught how to present the facts, and answer the "what, who, when, where and why," but that wasn't the most important lesson imparted. Above all was the sense of mission in delivering the news to the public in an impartial way so readers and viewers could make informed decisions by themselves.
Of course, journalists often choose the topics they are interested in and the stories they want to cover. That alone makes objectivity an impossible pursuit. But there's such a thing as professionalism, which draws boundaries in pushing personal agendas and imposes ethical responsibilities.
In these times of overnight pundits and bloggers, where everyone and anyone can hang up a shingle claiming to be a journalist, the term has almost become meaningless. Except to the real journalists, whose main job these days, it seems, is trying to distinguish themselves within the "media," and apart from the "Palins" of the world who lay claim to a profession that has been slandered and soiled yet perseveres against all odds.