What is Journalism? Types and Role of journalism

Topic :- What is journalism? Types and Role of journalism

Name :- Chauhan Sejal Arunbhai

Subject :- Mass Communication and Media Studies

Paper :- 15

Roll No :- 26

M.A. PART-II SEM-IV

Year- 2013-15

Submitted to :- Dr.Dilip.Barad

Smt.S.B.Gardi

Department of English

M.K.Bhavnagar University.

What is Journalism?

Journalism is gathering processing and dissemination of news and information related to the news to an audience. The word applied to the both the method of inquiring for news and the literary style which is used to disseminate.

The media that journalism uses vary diversely and include

          i.            Content published via newspapers

        ii.            Magazines (print)

      iii.            Television

      iv.            Radio (broadcast)

        v.            Their digital media versions- news websites and applications.

In modern society, the news media is the chief purveyor of information and opinion about public affairs. Journalism however is not always confined to the news media or to news itself, as journalistic communication may find its way into broader forms of expression including literature and cinema. In some nations we see that the news media is controlled by government intervention and is not a fully independent body.

In a democratic society, however access to free information plays a central role in creating a system of checks and balance and in distributing power equally amongst governments, businesses, individuals and other social entities. Access to verifiable information gather by independent media sources which adhere to journalistic standars can also be of service to ordinary citizens by empowering them with the tools they need in order to participate in the political process.

On the Basis of Beats

1.       Agricultural Journalism :-

This branch is growing at a fast pace in the past few years. With a handful colleges offering this course and many industries demanding it, this could be a hot option in the near future! Most people are not fully aware of the prospects in this field and thus get deterred from taking it up. However it has a wide array of options in multiple fields. Careers in the food and environment welfare and conservation bodies and resource organizations are some commonly pursued options.

2.       Arts Journalism :-

This beat is far all the art lovers. The focus is on various forms of art that includes literature, film, dance, music, drama and many more. Here the journalist analyzes the developments and trends of the art world and reports it to the audience. People who have passion for art always need regular inputs which makes arts journalism a fast growing stream of the industry.

3.       Business Journalism :-

Here the journalist has to cover business news from around the globe. This will include launch of new products in the market, mergers and acquisitions of companies, economic ups and downs performance of companies and so on. Well researched analytical reports have to be made when it comes to business. These reports gather dates of all the important events on an international level, moreover, these reports have also exposed many business related scandals.

4.       Celebrity Journalism :-

As the name goes, this genre is related to the life of celebrities from all fields. This includes news regarding their personal as well as professional life. Reporting gossip is one of the angles, which the readers love to read. Interviewing celebrities from various fields like music, sports, politics, arts and films is also a part of this profession.

5.       Crime Journalism :-

This beat has always been popular from a long time. People are always eager to know about crimes taking place, with all the possible and accurate details. Even though this is the most amusing beat for journalists, it needs extensive investigation and networking  to get all the facts true. It consists of violence, revenge, greed and major issues like corruption, drugs and so on. A crime reporter should always have good contacts so that no incident is missed.

6.       Cyber journalism :-

This field is also known as online journalism. In simple words, this is a collaboration of most other forms of journalism the only difference being the medium cyber and multimedia are two closely related fields, they aim at extending the reach of the information to a global level, while making the data appealing and engrossing.

7.       Education Journalism :-

This branch includes articles and reports on the developments taking place in the educational sector. The audience mostly consists of researchers, teachers and students. These reports stands a lot more important for the policy makers. It focuses on spreading the importance of education among people so that more number of children will take the step towards higher education rather than those leading towards the factory doors.

8.       Fashion Journalism :-

This field is for the people who have a stack of Cosmopolitan and Vogue under their pillow. Their main job is to keep a track of the latest trends in the fashion world. Interviewing models, designers and covering fashion shows are also a part of this work. Fashion is one of the hot subjects of the journalism industry, as one can work for magazines, websites and fashion channels.

9.       Financial Journalism :-

Financial journalism taps the list as the whole world resolves around numbers. It is related to all the facts and figures of the financial changes taking place. It will include up to date news of the stock markets, financial information of companies, changes in any financial rules and regulations of any country and so on.

1.   Lifestyle Journalism :-

The world is evolving and people are interested in reading more about lifestyle. This beat has been on a fast track growth focusing on entertainment, music, leisure, shoping, home gardening and so on.

Lifestyle journalists study the stages of development of lifestyle, economic influences on society, fashion and trends. They provide readers with tips that can help in changing their lifestyle with time.

11.   Multimedia Journalism :-

This branch has evolved recently and is intended to make the information more interesting, interactive and appealing. Being relatively new, this style has no specific guidelines. Mostly on the web, it primarily uses different images, videos and other forms of media to enhance the content.

The idea is to make the information easily understandable, while increasing the overall appeal of the page. An added advantage here is, a large amount of content can be conveyed easily with the help of tables, links, or a simple slideshow.

12.   News Journalism :-

This type is undoubtedly the widest and most well known where news journalists are required to compile and report information with necessary facts and details. The key aspects here is to ensure that the information is concise and direct while keeping the content intact.

This is one of the influential means of reaching out to people. Thus it is important that the story is reported in an unbiased and objective manner.

On the Basis of News Gathering

1.       Ambush Journalism :-

This is one of the techniques followed by journalists to collect news. It is actually a military tactic used to make a surprise attack in the same way as it is used to confront people so as to get answers. We come across this method more often on television, in a news show, or interviews where answers on sensitive topics are pulled out from people, who generally avoid speaking to journalists.

2.       Analytical Journalism :-

This class primarily aims at collaborating bits of information on the basis of evidence to draw substantial conclusions. Investigative journalism also plays a key role here. Analytical journalists are tasked with probing into simple chunks of news with mere theories. These journalists invest a lot of effort to bring many commonly missed points by shedding light on them.

3.       Citizen Journalism :-

This is a type of journalism where the people make their contribution to the news. They can share facts, give suggestions and also say what they feel about that particular event. Even after the news has been published, it is open for people to add their comments and suggestions.

This method is mostly used by journalists for sensitive issues so that the citizen gets a chance to speak and another news can made with that information, people can also bring to notice issues that may have been missed by media houses.

4.       Drone Journalism :-

Gathering news with the use of a small, unnamed aerial device known as drones for collection of photos, videos and news is called drone journalism. This method has emerged with a lot of buzz in the industry.

Various drone labs have been set up which allow the use of these devices. This method is used to get a better coverage of wars, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis and so on. The use of drones is made legal in the U.S and one is allowed to fly the some till 400 feet as of today.

5.       Gotcha Journalism :-

This is an interview technique used by journalists to get comments on the topics, which are not answered. This tactic can be used when some wrongdoing has to be exposed. It can be used in many ways depending on what outcome is expected. Gotcha technique has created a lot of buzz in the industry as it is a challenging way to gather information.

On the Basis of Writing Style

1.       Activist Journalism :-

In this branch, one expresses his personal opinion on the particular subject instead of reporting from a third person’s point of view. This form has shaped out of the ideology that unless you are passionate about the topic and express your thoughts freely, you can never convey the some well! Though journalism as a profession usually demands one to be objective, this method is being highly adopted today.

2.       Advocacy Journalism :-

Under this branch, journalists are openly biased towards a particular entity while reporting events or happenings. The information they convey is mostly one sided and tends to defend the specific entity. Most advocacy journalists believe that in their profession, one is very likely to became partial. As a constant follower of any story, it is difficult to stay detached. You eventually will develop an opinion! So instead of trying to be indifferent, one might as well report from his point of view.

3.       Database Journalism :-

Here the information is usually in the form of collected data, such as statics, comparative figures etc. The journalist is free to use different forms of data, representation to make the information easily understandable. This includes use of tables, flowcharts, links, maps, and other similar means.

4.       Feature Story Journalism :-

The primary difference between a story and news is the time frame. Any fresh information is said to be news, whereas known facts and information are said to be featured articles or stories.

Mostly these include detailed information about a widely known topic, such as the character sketch of a particular person usually a public figure or informative articles, reviews etc.

The Role of Journalism

 The role and status of journalism, along with that of the mass media, has undergone profound changes over the last two decades with the advent of digital technology and publication of news on the Internet.

This has created a shift in the consumption of print media channels, as people increasingly consume news through e-readers, smart phones and other electronic devices, challenging news organizations to fully monetize their digital wing as well as improvise on the context in which they publish news in print.

Notably in the American media landscape, newsrooms have reduced their staff and coverage as traditional media channels. Such as television grapple with declining audiences. For instance between 2007 and 2012, CNN edited its story packages into nearly half of this original time length.

This compactness in coverage has been linked to broad audience attrition, as a large majority of respondents in recent studies show changing preferences in news consumption. The digital era has also ushered in a new kind of journalism in which ordinary citizens play a greater role in the process of newsmaking with the rise of citizen journalism being possible through the Internet.

Using videos camera equipped smartphones, active citizens are now enabled to record footage of news events and upload them onto channels like Youtube, which is often discovered and used by mainstream news media outlets. Meanwhile easy access to news from a variety of online sources, like blogs and other social media, has resulted in readers being able to pick from a wider choice of official and unofficial sources, instead of only from traditional media organizations.

Thus , here we see that what is the role of journalism and it’s types.