Journalism; a Test of the Truest Standards
By: Ellie Thornsbury
Our society depends on rules and expectations. If you don't live up to these standards , you are considered wrong. It turns out, Journalism works this way too.
On the first day of Journalism 1, we discussed what classifies Journalism as "good". People confessed standards such as truth, loyalty, and relevance. The following class, Mr. Miller explained the 10 Elements of Journalism, standards set by professional journalists and critics. To my surprise, these elements matched almost perfectly with our ideas from the previous discussion.
This relation left me astounded! How could a class of 14 year-olds have the same opinions and thoughts as people who have devoted their lives to studying journalism? I suppose you could say journalisms standards should never be sacrificed, no matter who you are.
After looking over the notes we took on our personal standards and the 10 elements, a few standards stood out to me. The perfect piece of writing requires two main things, truth and relevance. Of course, there are other factors that go into journalism, but I feel these are the most important.
Tell the truth. This rule has been pounded into us since we could speak. We knew that when we confessed our standards on that first day. Truth is a very powerful thing, because truth builds trust. People read the news because they trust it, they expect nothing less than credible articles and verification. Both our class and professional journalists can agree that you must stay truthful to be successful.
What does this have to do with anything? This is a question frequently asked in journalism. We've all wondered this while skimming an article about some celebrities' catfight. Journalism must stay relevant. In order to achieve this, journalists must write about topics that are important to a lot of people and for a long time. Non relevant stories are unnecessary, forgettable, and make no difference in the world.
Everyone has roughly the same standards for journalism. We can agree that stories must have, along with many other aspects, truth and relevance. Journalism is a timeless field, in which everyone, including professionals and our small freshman class, can appreciate.
By: Ellie Thornsbury
Our society depends on rules and expectations. If you don't live up to these standards , you are considered wrong. It turns out, Journalism works this way too.
On the first day of Journalism 1, we discussed what classifies Journalism as "good". People confessed standards such as truth, loyalty, and relevance. The following class, Mr. Miller explained the 10 Elements of Journalism, standards set by professional journalists and critics. To my surprise, these elements matched almost perfectly with our ideas from the previous discussion.
This relation left me astounded! How could a class of 14 year-olds have the same opinions and thoughts as people who have devoted their lives to studying journalism? I suppose you could say journalisms standards should never be sacrificed, no matter who you are.
After looking over the notes we took on our personal standards and the 10 elements, a few standards stood out to me. The perfect piece of writing requires two main things, truth and relevance. Of course, there are other factors that go into journalism, but I feel these are the most important.
Tell the truth. This rule has been pounded into us since we could speak. We knew that when we confessed our standards on that first day. Truth is a very powerful thing, because truth builds trust. People read the news because they trust it, they expect nothing less than credible articles and verification. Both our class and professional journalists can agree that you must stay truthful to be successful.
What does this have to do with anything? This is a question frequently asked in journalism. We've all wondered this while skimming an article about some celebrities' catfight. Journalism must stay relevant. In order to achieve this, journalists must write about topics that are important to a lot of people and for a long time. Non relevant stories are unnecessary, forgettable, and make no difference in the world.
Everyone has roughly the same standards for journalism. We can agree that stories must have, along with many other aspects, truth and relevance. Journalism is a timeless field, in which everyone, including professionals and our small freshman class, can appreciate.
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