JOURNALISM FUNDAMENTALS



JOURNALISTS GET IT WRONG. THEY BUILD FACTS INTO

TRUTHS. THEY CALL THESE TRUTHS PROOF OF THEIR

HONESTY, INTEGRITY, OBJECTIVITY.


TRUTHS ARE IN FACT, NOT OBJECTIVE. THERE MAY BE MULTIPLE

TRUTHS TO A STORY OR ISSUE. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TRUTHS

FOR DIFFERENT PARTICIPANTS IN A STORY.


TRUTHS ARE VERY RARELY UNIVERSAL, BUT ARE TRUE IN A LIMITED

SENSE. JOURNALISTIC TRUTH IS AKIN TO SCIENTIFIC

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT A SINGLE EXPERIMENT (STORY) APPLYING

MORE BROADLY.


JOURNALISTIC TRUTHS RELY ON VALUE STATEMENT(S) AND EXIST

WITHIN A SYSTEM OF BELIEFS. TRUTHS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH GOOD/

EVIL STATEMENTS. THEY ENFORCE SHOULDS, AS IN SPECIFIC

BEHAVIORS OR WAYS TO ACT.


MOST JOURNALISM TODAY COUCHES ITSELF AS REPORTING AND ABOVE

THE FRAY. THAT IS INCORRECT. A JOURNALIST PURSUING TRUTH

IS LIKE IT OR NOT IS PRACTICING ADVOCACY JOURNALISM.


JOURNALISTS IN THE MSM (MAINSTREAM MEDIA) ARE RECEIVING

PUBLIC CRITICISM AND HARMING THEIR OWN REPUTATIONS

BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT. THEY

HAVE A CONFUSED SELF IMAGE. THE PUBLIC INSTINCTIVELY REACTS

TO SUBCONSCIOUS MIXED MESSAGES AND GETS CONFUSED, ANGRY,

OR DISENCHANTED.


THERE IS A JOURNALISTIC TRUISM THAT 'ADVOCACY JOURNALISM

IS BAD JOURNALISM'. JOURNALISTS SHOULD BE LIKE THE BEST

TEACHERS, OR A PUBLIC COURT OF LAW. INSTEAD THE INDUSTRY

SQUANDERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER PEOPLES LIVES OR

CORRECT. THEY HAVE LEARNED A LOT BY EXPLORING ISSUES,

INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE AND IDEAS FROM ALL PARTS OF

SOCIETY. BUT, THEY ACCEPT THE SYSTEM, AS IS, AND

DEFER POLICY IMPROVEMENTS OR PLATFORMS TO ANOTHER

INSTITUTION, A POLITICAL PARTY OR ADVOCACY GROUP.


I CHALLENGE THE INDUSTRY TO CONVEY SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS

THEY COVER.



CHRIST