So how's this for irony: I am in the process of applying to graduate school - I seek my Master's Degree in Journalism - and I can't seem to write my required essay. It's now day 4 in Barnes and Noble, ear plugs plugged, notes taken, study drugs abused, and I just can't seem to spit out this essay. I figured blogging about it might get the juices flowing.
It's an interesting topic, actually. In the new media landscape, anyone can be a journalist. Access to the internet has provided limitless somebody's and nobody's the opportunity to publish their own material, regardless of its accuracy, truth, bias or affect on those who might come across it in their web surfing. The citizen, formerly the audience, is now the journalist. Where does this leave the great professionals of the field? Do they maintain any sort of advantage or authority over those infinite bloggers I so eagerly read each day? And, perhaps worst of all, where the hell does this leave me?
Over dinner a few months ago, I proudly announced to my family that after all of my working, career counciling, soul searching, and yes, blogging, I was going to get my Master's in Journalism. I am going to be part Oprah, part Diane Sawyer, a bit Lisa Ling, and hopefully even some Bawbwa. But I am going to be venturing into a world these groundbreaking female professional journalists are only just entering - that run by the citizen journalist. It's more than just the at-home bloggers or YouTube aficionados I'm contending with. It's the revamp - no, revolution - in media as we know it. Newspapers are going extinct, radio is being replaced by Podcast, Twitter is now considered a reasonable, even respected form of communication (thank you, @BarackObama) and my four-year-old cousin is taking hebrew lessons through an online classroom. Becoming a journalist is no more about my research and writing skills than it is about my adaptability to our rapidly digitalizing world. So am I equipped?
My father, the least tech-savvy man in the Northeast, took a break from his porkchop to respond to my declaration. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, sweetie," began Big Baldie, "but what's the point in that? You don't really need a degree to do that... right?"
My inner teenager raging, I had to face the truth. My father was right. I don't need a degree to be a journalist, or the $50,000 price tag that accompanies my diploma. But I see a side of things Big Baldie does not - the need to save the professional journalist.
Now, let me be clear. If I had to choose between citizen or professional journalism, I simply could not. Citizen journalism is true-blue American, by the people and for the people, and can often do what professionals cannot. Without the influence of the producing news corporation, political affiliation or financial incentives, citizen journalists are free to research and inform on any topic, anywhere, and can access sources professionals may be off limits to, even unaware of. Within seconds these citizen journalists can upload pictures, sound bytes or video and update their followers on stories professionals have yet to touch. Mark Glaser, professional journalist and new media expert, explains that "One of the main concepts behind citizen journalism is that main stream media reporters and producers are not the exclusive center of knowledge on a subject -- the audience knows more collectively than the reporter alone." Glaser continues, "Because of the wide dispersion of so many excellent tools... the average citizen can now make news and distribute it globally, an act that was once the province of established journalists..."
In April, Apple's worst nightmare came true when it's newest iPhone, the as-yet unrealeased iPhone 4, wound up in the hands of writers at Gizmodo, a technology blog that covers consumer electronics. While rumors flew that Apple planted the iPhone and intentionally caused the leak, Gizmodo posted its story, dissecting every millimeter of the product for well over 12 million viewers to see - not to mention the infinite numbers of readers once the story was picked up by other sites. No mere tech nerds with a penchant for writing, the staff at Gizmodo, supported by its Gawker Media family, knew the power they held with such a find.
Notorious for its secrecy surrounding its products, Apple is strategic when it comes to what it reveals - and doesn't. Gizmodo says that "There is some suspicion that Apple has fed stories to media outlets in the past, like when the Wall Street Journal floated the story about the iPad's cost being "at about $1000..." That made some sense, as it set the stage for the real price, which seemed "surprisingly" low." Gizmodo implies Apple's control over its coverage is thanks not only to its top notch PR but also its relationship with key members of the media - those professional journalists whose reports may waver because of connections to Apple. Gizmodo, a citizen source, maintains its advantage over professional sources because of its nonexistent ties to Apple:
By keeping their [Apple's] communication lines completely closed, they have leverage over those to whom they give access... it's impossible to argue that "access journalism" has anything but a deleterious effect on the objectivity of journalists. Journalists will often freak out if you point this out because you are implying they are ethically or psychologically compromised. Tough shit.
Gizmodo raises a valid point; a professional news source, such as the Wall Street Journal, may have ties with Apple that can limit or distort the reporting on a topic. The citizen journalists at Gizmodo had total control over the iPhone 4 story, and all but laughed in the face of those who thought otherwise.
If citizen journalism produces such all-access, un-biased stories, then where does this leave professional journalism? In the face of ever expanding technology and a faltering economy, print publications face an imminent death. According to NewspaperDeathWatch. com, newspaper advertising revenue has been in steady decline since 2007, leading major publications to fire staff members and close its doors. This doesn't mean the end of professional journalism - it signifies the rebirth of an industry. As long as journalists can adapt to new media strategies, there is always room for professional reporting.
Professional journalists are defined by a code of ethics to which citizen journalists simply cannot compete. The study of journalism reaches beyond fact finding, writing or speech making; becoming a professional journalist entails the understanding and total acceptance of moral obligations to the citizens for whom we work. As the line between reporting and editorializing becomes blurred, it is the duty of the professional journalist to maintain a subjective view in investigating and reporting with the highest degree of truth and accuracy as possible.
I don't pretend that all professional journalists live by such a code or can always maintain such standards in reporting - they're only human. As a former publicist, I can sympathize with the desire - and seeming necessity - to spin a story to fit a certain angle, appeal to a particular audience, or please a source. But as a current applicant to a school of Journalism, I seek the education and practice that distinguishes professionals from the citizens.
One is no better than the other. Holding a diploma guarantees nothing; access to the internet means anyone can publish. But for journalism to flourish in the new media landscape, professional and citizen journalists must maintain a relationship, albeit a controversial one. Citizen journalists may have access to certain information, events or issues that professionals are not privy to, and vice versa, and so it is essential that one keeps the other in check. While a professional may have editors, colleagues or a signed code of ethics to adhere to, citizen journalists are their own audience, and may be better in tune with the opinions - and voice - of the people.
Everyone is biased to some degree; it is part of the human condition. News, therefore, cannot be without influence by its producer. This is where the professional journalist holds court above the citizen. Citizens may report for millions of reasons on millions of topics, and can often be accurate in doing so. But relevance to their audience and the importance of such accuracy is lost because they are held to virtually no standards of reporting. Citizen journalists can publish false reports at the bat of an eye, while professional journalists have forces to combat at the publication of false reports. A professional's livelihood, career, passion and reputation are at stake with their journalistic endeavors, while for many citizen journalists publishing is a merely a way to pass time at their "real" jobs.
Behind the sensationalism and entertainment, behind the breaking news and hot topics, behind the events, personalities and issues that flood all of our lives, there is the truth. Authenticity, honesty and integrity must be at the core of professional journalism. More news is produced each day than the last, and it is up to the audience to practice discretion over its origin. There are those who hold journalism to such standards, and will keep the practice a respected one. Without those people, there would only be citizens.
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