Need for professional journalism

“PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISM „IS‟ NECESSARY
IN THE CONTEXT OF DEVELOPMENTS IN
MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES”

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Need for Professional Journalism and Different Forms of Media.............................................2
Practices of Journalism and Technology ...................................................................................3
Evolution of Ethics in Professional Journalism and Digital Media...........................................5
Role of Media in Constitution of Public Spheres ......................................................................6
The Role of Mainstream, Alternative and New Media..............................................................7
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
A number of research papers have documented the rapid success and growth of minority or
ethnic media across a number of areas throughout the world, being most prominent in
Western Europe and North America. This trend has been attributed by scholars with the
tendency of expressing the increased patterns of migration across the globe (Bloomsbury
1992). A crucial awareness about an extremely participatory culture of global media across
multi- cultural societies has been established as a significant tool for explaining the impact
and success of minority or ethnic media, along with embracing the changing methods by
which there is use of media by people (Sanders 2009). Being a profession extremely
centralized to the sense of self across the society, there lies a crucial significance for
understanding the impacts of changing conditions on labour, cultures of professionalism, and
the technologies in appropriation. These factors form the crucial attribute of work within the
profession of journalism. It has been argued by a number of researchers that the continuously
converging technologies undermine the basic standards and skills of journalism, while the so-
called multiple tasking is fostered within newsrooms, which is seen as the outcome of
economy based pressures cutting back over resources while the work loads are increased
(Curran et al. 2012).
As a thesis statement for this essay, professional journalism can be considered necessary with
respect to developments in technologies of media. The aim of this essay lies in critically
assessing the notion that the profession of journalism can or cannot be considered necessary
with respect to development in technologies of media. For this purpose, a description and
critical evaluation of key approaches will be done for analysing the news along with other
factual sources of media with respect to a number of media forms. Based on this, evidences
will be collected to support the thesis statement and pointing out key conclusion.
Need for Professional Journalism and Different Forms of Media
In the current society where development has been taking place at a fast pace, a large number
of people turn to their electronic devices that range from Social Media to predictions of
weather (Curran 2010). As websites of social networking has been exploding and smart
phones have been development, technology has quickly started to become the key way in
order to receive information. The dependence on new technology for information have been
providing huge benefits such as instant notification of emails and news allowing member of
the society for being aware about what events are taking place across the globe in only a

fraction of seconds. As communication can be identified as an important element of the
overall culture, the way in which there is spreading of information involves adaptation for
being in alignment with the way people have been living (Curran 2010). Journalism had been
based on printed copies when most of the people showed willingness in taking time for
reading newspapers. Now as individuals have started to turn to the sources of internet for
their needs of information, journalism in printed form has been considering this form of
journalism as a dying arts, as depicted due to the steady fall in sales of printed newspaper.
There have been constant changes in the landscape of journalism with new mediums and
technologies that redefine this relationship between the public and the news media (Curran
2010). In context with the obvious nature of humans, fear is expressed by some people for
change, while others can be seen expressing eager embracement of it. Some show excitement
through the opportunity of profiting out of changes taking place across circumstances. A
number of others have been inclined for following the rule regarding dangerous precedent,
stating that nothing has to be done for the very first time. However, in the current world, there
lies an impossibility for escaping the process of change that is highly relentless (Bloomsbury
1992). This can be considered as specifically true for the ones who work in the profession of
communications and journalism.
Practices of Journalism and Technology
Since the period of last quarter century, dramatic advancement of technology within the
dissemination, manipulation and production of images have been transforming the practices
related to advertising, entertainment and journalism, along with the overall visual
environment. In the current era of news involving ubiquitous information has never been
successful in having it so good, as there is availability of online everywhere and anytime
(Sanders 2009). With major changes in the environment of media along with the technology,
there is an interrogation of the nature perceived by news journalism as being among the most
urgent dilemma faced in defining the interest of public today. There is an involvement of
serious implications not just perceiving the future changes of news media, but also regarding
democracy being practiced. The significant notion involved is the traditionally, there has been
major effectiveness of journalism to shine as a spotlight of the developments and the issues of
the day (Chadwick 2013). However, for a number of reason, traditional journalism has often
faced failure in placing stories sufficiently such that there is full understanding of the same.
One significant reasons is the major development of technology. In addition to this, the

analogue, traditional media has been highly one- way in the flow of information, moving
across the public from the journalists. The model of passive audience has restricted the
engagement or involvement of the public within public affairs and journalism.
“The new technologies make possible changes in news production and news outputs, but
there is no reason to expect that the impact of the new technologies will be uniform across all
news providers. Rather we might expect to find that there are differing impacts, contingent
upon different technological applications which in turn are contingent upon the goals and
judgments of executive personnel and any political regulators” (Ursell, 2001; 178).
As digital revolution has arrived, with the increase of online- based social networks, internet
being evolved, and new sources of media being emerged, has helped in reshaping the
landscape of media and has been making the press of the year 2011 such that it is beyond the
scope of anyone’s imagination (Chadwick 2013). From the deception of wholesale to digital
retouching, the world of media is being beset by a number of professional challenges that are
unprecedented. Not only due to the rise of different media, but also due to the fresh dynamics
across work force. On daily basis, there is an addition of new tools and devices are added
within the exponential level of growth, causing opportunities and choices being in excess that
has not yet been acknowledged by the audience and the journalists (Curran et al. 2012).
These frontiers related to media have helped in enriching information resources and news and
reshaping what was perceived as the realm of news agencies, broadcasters and print press in
the traditional setting. The challenge is involved in fully optimizing the potential of digital
media and internet without the civil liberties being compromised. There has been charting of
revolutionary changes due to digital technologies in the field of journalism, and there has
been a fundamental alteration in the function and nature of media across the society. This has
resulted in the reinvention of traditional practices related public communication, and
sometimes, there is circumvention of traditional media, while challenge is imposed on the
privileged role played by the gatekeepers of entertainment and news (Bloomsbury 1992).
There are a number of which in which there has been a major impact of digital technology on
practices related to journalism, by the way in which information is gathered and presented by
reporters as news stories to how the news is structured by the organizations themselves.
Further ahead, there has been a rapid expansion of digital technology, and hence, the society
is permeated with new possibilities and formats of communication. Hypermedia, multimedia
and hypertext have ended up becoming a routine for a number of professionals and schools
are required for changing the ways to learn and to teach. If the society ends up peering within

the future, a landscape of media can be foreseen that is dominated by huge fragmentation,
even though there are scarce financial resources for advertisement, intense competition by
media, and active involvement of audience. As new technologies are embraced, professional
media and journalism can be holding their role as an important lifeline of information, and
continuously operating as a tool providing better scope of successful democracy (Bloomsbury
1992). As the dawn of electronic journalism and information age has approached, the
functions of journalists can be seen shifting from transmission of information to processing of
information. In the works of McLuhan, it has been learnt that every media tends to be
presenting a different experience of sensor for extension of self across the globe. There is no
denial in the fact the foundation of journalism has been changing with the most recent
medium of internet (Curran et al. 2012). The unique attributes of internet over multimedia
and interactivity can be considered as significant evolution being forced within the culture of
journalism as there has been an evolution is the basic goal of report in this digital world. The
technology of web has been providing opportunities for audiences and sources to be
participating in production of news.
Evolution of Ethics in Professional Journalism and Digital Media
Ethics of digital media has been dealing with the distinct norms, practices and problems of
ethics over digitalized news media. Digital media is inclusive of digital photojournalism,
blogging, social media, citizen journalism and online journalism (Sanders 2009). It is
inclusive of doubts regarding how this new media must be used by professional journalism
for researching on and publishing stories, along with how there must utilization of images or
texts as provided by the citizens. In the phase of revolution, there has been an emergence of
new possibilities while there is a threat of old practices (Chadwick 2013). The current era
cannot be considered exception. The economics related to professional journalism has been
struggling there is migration of audiences online. Newsrooms being shrunken results in
creating concerns regarding the future of journalism. However, these types of fears have been
prompting experiments within journalism, like non- profit centres regarding journalism of
investigation. The centralized question is to what limit the current ethics of media is suitable
for the news media of tomorrow and today that is always on, interactive and immediate, a
journalism of professionals and amateurs (Curran et al. 2012). Majority of the principles have
been established since the last century that originate in constructing the objective and
professional ethics related to newspapers of mass commercialization since the later years of

19th
century. There has been a creation of ethical tension with the revolution of media over
two different levels.
Over the initial level, there lies tension between online journalism and traditional journalism.
The culture related to traditional journalism, with the values regarding rubs up, gate- keeping,
impartiality, balance, pre- publication verification, and accuracy against the culture related to
online journalism laying emphasis on post- publication correction, non- professional
journalists, partiality, transparency and immediacy (Chadwick 2013). Over the second level,
there lies tension between global journalism and parochial journalism. There are ethics
related to integrated newsroom, a newsroom in which there is practicing of layered
journalism. Layered journalism has been bringing together a number of categories of
journalists and forms of journalism for the production of multimedia offering over analysis
and news of professional style in combination with interactive chat and citizen journalism
(Allen and Einar 2009). There is layering of newsroom horizontally and vertically. In the
vertical sense, there are number of different layers related to editorial positions.
Role of Media in Constitution of Public Spheres
Discussion about the public sphere have been enjoying an enduring position across the
researchers of Society, Culture and Media. For the ones considering the public sphere highly
fascinating within a society of globalizing network, there lies an encouragement of such
interest. For the ones considering the concept for being already superseded or roundly
critiqued, this fascination results in meriting the pause for thought (Bloomsbury 1992). A
number of scholars have showed familiarity with the trajectory over the concept within the
academia and most can consider outlining the original theory by Habermas, detailing a
number of critiques in discussion and attraction if these tend to be undermining the concept,
its continuous significance and how the research can be conducted. However, by the sphere
of public, the first meaning is about a realm over social life within which there is formation of
some approaching opinion of public. There is a guarantee of accessibility to each and every
citizen (Chadwick 2013). A share of the public sphere comes within each and every
conversation for private individuals assembling the formation of public body. The cultural
and social lives over the bourgeoisie, it seemed to articulate a consensus where the opinion
over a sovereign public is represented with a legitimate claim for being identified by power
established. Habermas have been showing commitment to the long- term goal for the
production of normative theory of democracy centralized on how there is participation of

public, by discursive processes related to deliberation could result in legitimately impacting
decision making in politics (Pels 2003). These changes in the thought of Habermas resulted
in the arousal of a number of wide ranging and ambitious intellectual engagements within the
philosophy of language and that of social science, and the theories of power, law and
rationality related to sociology. The initial point was the involvement of Habermas within the
debate in the years of 1960s, as a result of which an argument had been placed for
rapprochement among hermeneutic and nomothetic methods, and for a concept regarding
crucially reconstructed in place over the historical methods of comparison the categorized the
work. Though these arguments can be considered complex, these focus to clarify the relations
between human interests and knowledge (Curran 2010).
The Role of Mainstream, Alternative and New Media
Alternative media is referred to as the media that is different from dominant or established
categories of media with respect to their content, how the distribution is done or how the
production is done. Alternative media end up taking a number of different forms that is not
inclusive of but not restricted to street art, internet, video, audio and print. Some of the
examples are inclusive of zines with counter culture in the years of 1960s, indigenous and
ethnic media like the television network of First People in Canada, and since recent time,
online open sites of publishing journalism like Indymedia (Curran and Seaton 2009). On the
other hand, mainstream mass media has been representing corporate interest and government,
with the tendency of being non- commercial projects advocating the interests over the ones
excluding from the mainstream such as GLBTQ identities, feminists, labour groups, and
ethnic, political and poor minorities. These broadcast of media tend to be ignoring or
overlooking perceptions like the ones heard within Democracy Now, the progressive program
of news, and creating communities over identity. Historically, alternative media have been
identified as counter- hegemonic, in simple words, challenging the dominant combination of
values and beliefs of culture (Curran et al. 2012). The definition of alternate media, simply
countering with mainstream has been considered as limiting. However, modern approaches
studying alternative media have been addressing where and how there is creation of these
media, along with the dynamic relationship among the participants and the media responsible
for using and creating them. A number of approaches related to academic study over
alternative media puts in effort for understanding the ways by which there is significance of
these media, each laying emphasis on a number of different aspects related to media that

includes the role played by social movements, public sphere, and participating the
communities where there is a creation of media (Lewes 2005). Ethics of digital media has
been dealing with the distinct norms, practices and problems of ethics over digitalized news
media. Digital media is inclusive of digital photojournalism, blogging, social media, citizen
journalism and online journalism. It is inclusive of doubts regarding how this new media
must be used by professional journalism for researching on and publishing stories, along with
how there must utilization of images or texts as provided by the citizens. In the phase of
revolution, there has been an emergence of new possibilities while there is a threat of old
practices. As new technologies are embraced, professional media and journalism can be
holding their role as an important lifeline of information, and continuously operating as a tool
providing better scope of successful democracy. As the dawn of electronic journalism and
information age has approached, the functions of journalists can be seen shifting from
transmission of information to processing of information (Negrine 2008).
Conclusion
Since the period of last quarter century, dramatic advancement of technology within the
dissemination, manipulation and production of images have been transforming the practices
related to advertising, entertainment and journalism, along with the overall visual
environment. In the current era of news involving ubiquitous information has never been
successful in having it so good, as there is availability of online everywhere and anytime.
Being a profession extremely centralized to the sense of self across the society, there lies a
crucial significance for understanding the impacts of changing conditions on labour, cultures
of professionalism, and the technologies in appropriation (Oates 2008). These factors form
the crucial attribute of work within the profession of journalism. It has been argued by a
number of researchers that the continuously converging technologies undermine the basic
standards and skills of journalism, while the so- called multiple tasking is fostered within
newsrooms, which is seen as the outcome of economy based pressures cutting back over
resources while the work loads are increased (Sanders 2009). As a thesis statement for this
essay, professional journalism can be considered necessary with respect to developments in
technologies of media. The unique attributes of internet over multimedia and interactivity can
be considered as significant evolution being forced within the culture of journalism as there
has been an evolution is the basic goal of report in this digital world (Sreberny and van-

Zoonen. 2000). The technology of web has been providing opportunities for audiences and
sources to be participating in production of news.
Hence, it can be stated that professional journalism is extremely necessary to perceive a
number of ethical values and framework as media has been inclining more towards
technology development.
References
Allen, S. and Einar T. (eds) 2009. Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives. New York: Peter
Lang.
Bloomsbury, K.J. 1992. Media and Democracy. Cambridge: Polity.
Chadwick, A. 2013. The Hybrid Media System. New York: Oxford University Press Corner.
Pels, D. 2003. Media and the Re-Styling of Politics: Consumerism, Celebrity and Cynicism.
London: Sage.
Curran, J. 2010. Mass Media and Society. London: Bloomsbury.
Curran, J. and Seaton, J. 2009. Power Without Responsibility: Press, Broadcasting and the
Internet in Britain. 7th ed. London: Routledge.
Curran, J. Fenton, N. and Freedman, D. 2012. Misunderstanding the Internet. London:
Routledge.
Lewes, J. 2005. Citizens or Consumers: What Media Tell Us about Political Participation.
Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Negrine, R. 2008. The Transformation of Political Communication. Continuities and
Changes in Media and Politics. London: Palgrave.
Oates, S. 2008. Introduction to Media and Politics. London: Sage.
Sanders, K. 2009. Communicating Politics in the 21st Century. London: Palgrave.
Sreberny, A. and van-Zoonen, L. 2000. Gender, Politics & Communication. Cresshill, NJ:
Hampton Press.

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