Is Journalism essential to democracy?
Yes, I would say it is. Is today’s journalsim essential to democracy? No, I would say it is not. True journalism hasn’t existed in its rare and unadulterated form in quite some time, especially since we gave Perez Hilton his own website and called him an ‘entertainment’ journalist/blogger. Is that really all anyone cares about anymore? Who is sleeping with who, the octo-mom and her new house for all the kids she can’t afford, and my personal favortite, is Angelina too skinny? Who the hell cares? Maybe all the attention given to glamour, fame and stardom should’ve been directed at the CEO’s who are now taking bonus checks when there are thousands of Americans who are jobless. Perhaps we should’ve been more concerened with getting the scoop on that story! I didn’t spend four years in college, and am continuing to spend another two years at the master’s level so that Danny, Rick, Susie, and Nadine could sit at home in their underpants and “break” news on their blogs. I blog because sometimes I have thoughts which I can’t convey anywhere else. How sad is it that reporters are being let go and newspapers are out of style. It marks the end of period of time when life could afford a few moments to pick up a newspaper, sit at the breakfast table with your family or whoever and be informed about what is going on locally as well as internationally.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
I say again, journalism today suffers, the journalism of today is not essentail for democracy because it’s not about informing the public anymore, now it’s about the almighty dollar. Editors have quotas to meet, coporate interests to look out for, and the news, the truth, it suffers. Like democracy, in its true form, journalism is a way of bringing ideas and facts together, thereby letting the reader form an opinion. Is that not how democracy functions? A plethora of ideas, being neatly molded into issues and laws that we the public vote on from time to time. Are we the public so fixed in the so-called ‘consumer-driven’ society where are we care about it is whether or not Ashton Kutcher is going to beat CNN to a million followers on Twitter?
Call me old fashioned, anti-progressive, or just plain stupid, but I’m willing to bet money, that one day, it will all get old. People distrust the news and news organizations so much, gee, isn’t that how it always has been, even during the founding of this country, did the press not exist to expose greed and coruption, and also shine light on those situations that were beyond comprehension. Of course that is how it is supposed to work, no body likes the truth, people don’t want to admit when they are wrong. No one is perfect, I’m not suggesting they should be, everyone could benefit from having a little slack cut their way. But these are subcategories to the issues that continue to look the average American in the face daily, and if I’m complaining, at least I plan to “do” my part in chaning it, instead of being someone who complains and yet doesn’t have the balls to do anything about it. I will do my part to bring journalism back from the long sleep its been in for years!!
I totally agree with you. What’s the point in spendnig 4 years in school getting a degree when anyone with a computer can create “news”. I will be graduating with a Journalism degree in December and frankly I’m a little troubled by the state of newspapers. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I am able to find a good job.