Journalism 1: Intro to Ethics

What does it mean to be ethical? Thefreedictionary.com describes ethicality as being " in accordance with principles of conduct that are considered correct, especially those of a given profession or group". Ethics are principles beliefs of right and wrong, moral values or guidelines. To be ethical one knows right from wrong and choses to make the right decision according to their code of morals. An ethical person is a morally right person. In some of life's situations it can be difficult to know which solution is the ethical one. An example of a dilemma like this would be if your best friend gave their address to a strange online; what should you do? your friend's decision could end up putting them in danger. Should you tell their parents, even if it would anger your friend and you could lose their friendship or should you just let the issue go because you don't want to anger your friend or be a tattletale? When making a decision on what to do in this situation there are a few things that one should consider. You should keep in mind the needs of your friend, the needs of your friend's parents, your friend's home life, the way your friend will react if you tell, and what your friend could get into if you don't tell; you must weigh the pros and cons before you make a decision. I find that the best solution to this dilemma is to tell my friend's parents. My friend could get hurt by their decision and I value their safety more that our friendship. My friend can be mad at me all they want, and their parents may be angry with them and my friend might get into trouble but maybe they will learn a lesson from this whole situation. I feel that the safety of one's friend is more important than anything in this situation. Ethics are applied to journalism daily. Most every news organization has a code of ethics that their journalists must go by. This code keeps journalists responsible for providing the world with credible news. Having a code of ethics in journalism keeps journalists thinking about making the correct decisions with their work. Resources: (2009).The Free Dictionary: ethical. Retrieved September 21,2012. from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ethical

Journalism: New forms: Differences, Similarities, and Preference

As time has passed, news companies have come to use many different forms of media to get the news out to the world. News companies want to give consumers options for receiving news that are comfortable and that can easily fit into the consumer’s daily lives. Today we have the option to receive our news from magazines, radio broadcasts, newspapers, television programs, the internet, and many, many more. With so many options to choose from, which should we pick? What are the differences and similarities between the major news media forms that help the consumer to decide which form is best fit for them to use? There are many differences between the major news forms (television, radio, newspaper, and Internet); what are those difference? Starting with newspapers, the consumer cannot receive an instant news update like they could with the radio, television, or internet, but instead they must wait for the next print run. The radio, does not give its consumer a visual experience and the listener must rely on the broadcaster to create a mental picture. Also, with the radio the listener cannot pursue the information for themselves, but instead, the listener must again rely on the broadcaster to get the point across and cover all the details. With television, one can receive a visual and verbal experience, but is required to be near a TV. Also, with receiving news from television one cannot choose the topics of which the broadcaster is covering and therefor you may not get to hear every news update. With the Internet one can get the widest range in news coverage and in many different forms; visual, verbal, and textual forms. The user can also pursue whatever news topic or information he wants to receive. What are some of the similarities between the news forms of the radio, television, internet, and newspaper? One of the biggest similarities in the different news forms is the essential issue of credibility. Whatever news form one chooses to use the issue of whether a source is credible or not is always present; therefor one must carefully question and decide if the news source they use is trust worthy. Other similarities in the major news forms are the variety of topics and sources. There are so many different news companies to choose from, with many different new topics to cover; all the consumer must do is pick which one interests them most. When picking a news form to receive new updates from, it is important that it fits into my daily schedule and it is something I have access to whenever I want or need it. I prefer to receive my news from the internet more than any other news form. I am on my laptop every day for school, so I can easily access the internet to receive new updates. Using the internet to receive news doesn’t conflict with my daily schedule, like a television program or radio broadcast would; and I can go back to whatever site I need to and view the information as many times as I want. Also unlike a newspaper, I can receive instant updates from the internet, instead of having to wait till the next print run. I also can receive a visual, verbal, and textual experience, which is a combination of the different news forms. The Internet is just a better fit for me than the radio, television, and newspaper. As you can see, today we have many options for receiving news. There are many differences in the way certain news forms cover the news, which have pros and cons that help people to decide how they receive their news. What are always constant in the different news forms are the variety of sources and topics covered, and the issue of credibility. People have so many news choices to choose from and it is important to the form that best fit into our daily lives. While the internet may seem like the best choice for getting ones news because of its wide range of info, it may not work for everyone. Everyone has their own preference to which news form they choose.

Journalism: Channel 4 News

Today I watched Channel 4 news at 5 (pm). Channel 4 is Jacksonville’s local station which covers local news. Lately with Presidential elections coming up, the station has been covering the political conventions and events. Tonight Channel 4 mostly covered the weather updates, local new updates, political news, world news about an earthquake, and even a breaking new alert about a Swat Standoff on the Westside. Some days channel 4 dose sports broadcasts and updates.

The reporters on channel 4 rarely show opinion in their reporting. Usually if opinion is show they reporters are discussing a topic or joking around with one another; they never make an opinion on important news but on little things like the weather. Before opinion is shown the reporters always make sure they cover the topic first.

 Channel 4 is good about getting first-hand information on a report. Most of the time the station has reporters on the scene and they interview witnesses. Channel 4 is also good about getting both sides of the story and not leaving out any information. The station is constantly updating its viewers about breaking news as well. I don’t think that there is anything that the news station needs to improve on. They seem to cover all that is needed. I enjoy watching channel 4 news.

Where do Newspapers make their money?

In the newspaper business there is potential to make loads of money. But how exactly does a Newspaper company make its dough?  For a paper to be profitable, the company must create an interesting paper that others are willing to read and they must know where the paper can make a profit. So, where exactly does a papers profit lie?

 For a newspaper company to gain profit in any way, they must first make a paper that people are willing to purchase and read. Though I am stating the obvious, it is a very important point. You want to give the people news that their interested about. People also want to know that their source for news is credible; so don’t go publishing unreliable sensational news for a profit, because it won’t help sales in the end. If you don’t have a good, credible, and interesting paper, you won’t have many readers, and without readers you can’t get into where the real profit in the newspaper business lies, advertising.

Advertising is where the big profit lies in the newspaper business. To attract advertisers, the company needs to show the advertisers that they have a good following of people who are willing to purchase and subscribe to the paper. The newspaper company must also have descent costs for advertising; so it would be best for the newspaper company to compare the prices for advertising in other newspapers. Once you have people who are willing to advertise you can charge different prices for different types of advertising and for different spots on the paper; when it comes to advertising in papers it’s all about location.

In the newspaper business, a company can make some serious dough. For newspaper companies to make a good profit, they need to have a good, interesting, and credible paper that people are willing to read. With readers comes willing advertisers; which is where the profit lies, in advertising. These are the ways in which newspapers make their money.

Resources:

1. Sutton, J. (2008, July 28). Newspaper-Info:Making Money. Retrieved September 5, 2012, from:  http://www.newspaper-info.com/more/news3.htm

2. Waltenburg, D. ehow: How does a newspaper make money?. Retrieved September 5, 2012, from:  http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4690012_newspaper-money.html