Everlasting Journalism

 The beauty of journalism is everlasting. 

 

As an aspiring journalist, I think the most important aspect of a democracy is the freedom of press. The very essence of journalism is to inform the public, and that is something that has been prominent from the 18^thcentury to now. 

 

Take Spectator No. 62 as an example, Addison informs the public of the difference between true wit and false wit. This aspect of journalism will always remain the same. Informing the public is the most important aspect of journalism. 

Let’s talk about the entertaining aspect of journalism.

At its core, journalism must appeal to readers. Without readers, journalism would serve no purpose. Both Steele and Addison did this in the Spectator. While newsworthy qualities are the most important, proper turn of phrase in order to best entertain the reader also matters.

Although, we must keep in mind journalism's only function is not to entertain us. It is to inform us, but the two aspects can be melded together into something cohesive. In fact, it often is. 

Has anyone ever read an article and chuckled at something the writer said? I have. Has anyone been so intranced in a news article they forgot about the outside world for a moment? I have. News writing entertains while also informing us. That is something that has been true from the start. 

 

Nowadays, journalism often gets a bad rap. The term fake news floats around, placing an unfair bias on news writing. The perpetrators of this so-called fake news phenomena are often not true news reporters. In the age of technology and social media, disinformation spreads quickly through outlets outside of news reporters. 

 

This is a difference between journalism then and now. 

 

Present-day, everyone can be a “news writer” without the proper education to be one. While technology is often great, people should consume information with a grain of salt. Meaning, readers must have a sense of responsibility. They must be willing to do research to ensure the information they are consuming is true. There are many accounts on social media dedicated to informing the public, and that's great. However, there are also some social media platforms that have struggled in the past with fact checking, and that causes disinformation to spread easily. 

News reporting outlets are not society's only source of information anymore. 

 

Public writing, in this regard, has obviously evolved. In the 18^th century, not everyone could share their voice through writing for many reasons. Perhaps they could not write. Perhaps they did not have a printing press. 

 

Now, anyone can share their thoughts with a press of a button, and that can sometimes be great. It can also be troubling. 

 

Journalism is vital to a working and successful democracy, but people must also be conscious of the information they consume. Information is not simply given in from of news writing like it has been in the past. 

 

There is beauty in that. There is good qualities in being able to share information, but it also puts added pressure on readers to ensure the information they consume is valid.

 

Sources:

Tieleman, Matthis. “What The 1700s Teach Us About Today's Fake News Epidemic.” Worldcrunch, 25 June 2020, worldcrunch.com/opinion-analysis/what-the-1700s-teach-us-about-today39s-fake-news-epidemic.