Hayley Waller
“What differentiates journalism from other parts of the media and communications
industry?”
Journalism is one of the most readily recognisable forms of media throughout the
world. Journalism is an important part of our daily lives, as humans, we are constantly
interested and intrigued about our surroundings from our own backyards to what is
happening on the other side of the globe. The art of journalism whether print or
broadcast, has specific characteristics that make it radically different from other parts
of the media and other parts of the communications industry. This essay will discover
and discuss these differences shedding light on why both are so commonly linked
together by the untrained person.
One question it would seem reasonable to answer first is: What exactly is journalism?
One overriding purpose of a journalist and journalism as a career is to obtain the truth,
about events that have actually occurred and to report it (Lamble, 2011, p20). This
indicates that the key role of a journalist is to report to the public, information in line
with topical news values such as an events timeliness, currency, human interest and
effect or impact to name a simple few (Lamble, 2011, p35). The role of a journalist as
a professional also reflects these news values. As an current ideology, Mark Dueze
(2005 p 6) has categorised the roles of journalists into five topics. They are:
1. Public Service
2. Complete Objectivity in news reporting.
3. Autonomy
4. Immediacy in delivery of the news
5. Sense of Ethics when news reporting
It would seem obvious to place public service as the most ideological role of a
journalist. According to Mark Dueze (2005, p7) the sense of being a journalist to
serve a public purpose is a commonly shared view by the majority of journalists
within the industry. It is also commonly thought by the industry and it’s professionals
who work within it, that their techniques are aiming to discover a truth, on behalf of
the public (Clayman, 2002, p3). Of course, the broader term of journalism is also
intended to cover both investigative journalism as well as photojournalism sharing the
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same characteristics as news writing journalism. All of which are still largely aimed at
informing people of the news and events that are in the world around them.
The wide encompassing scope of the word ‘media’ includes many different forms. It
can include journalism, music and film, travel writing, blogging, public relations and
in more recent decades can also include social media such as facebook – a worldwide
phenomenon.
Website, The Social Bakers, (n.d) statistics show that over 50% of Australia’s
population are now on facebook with a 323, 840 additional users in the past six
months alone. Facebook first started as a forum for individuals to share information
about themselves with people all over the world whether family, friends, and potential
employers or even complete strangers. It has now developed so much as to broadcast
important issues all over the world and this can be done by anyone, not just
journalists. Take the recent ‘Kony 2012’ issues for instance. Even though according to
CBC News journalist David Michael Lamb, (March 9, 2012), the traditional media has
documented the horrific scenes in involving the Lord’s Resistance Army and its
leader Joseph Kony, it is only after an online video went viral with over 56 million
views within the space of four days (Lamb, 2012). It is here that a similarity can be
identified with social media and traditional journalism. Although social media (ie
facebook) is more commonly known and used for different purposes, it still has the
ability to broadcast world issues to younger audiences.
Public relations are the part of the communications industry that help monitor the
reputation and public perceptions of companies and organisations. Clear difference
here is between the key aims and objectives of each. Journalists employed to report
news following key news characteristics, whereas public relations officers focus on
the public perceptions of the organisation they work for and ways to manage these
public perceptions. Writing and editing, media relations and research (David Venn,
2011) are all elements of public relations which are indeed similar to that of
journalism. Even so, as stated above, its objectives are the clear difference between
the two.
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Hayley Waller
However, in contrasting the two industries, obvious differences do arise. In looking at
the people who are enabled to partake in each of the mediums differs considerably.
Journalistic work (news reporting) is often taken out by trained journalists, trained in
techniques concerning news values, what is considered to be newsworthy, news
contexts and how to obtain the critical information and present it to the public about
events that concern a recognisable group of people (Lamble 2011). Social media
provides a more personalised way of presenting information about oneself, or a
business, interest or cause and is open to reveal any information about a particular
person (a user) and is only relevant to those who seek the information or choose to be
affected by it. There are also no qualifications required to become a user of social
media.
The two separate industries also differentiate in terms of setting. Journalists and the
industry of journalism often work and occur in the newsroom, and also out in the
field, gathering and collecting information and visuals to go with a story to present to
the public in whatever medium whether radio, television, print or online. Other
elements of the media and communications industry are often conducted in an office
and are majorly in corporate settings and obviously can also be in academic settings.
Scholarly journal articles and academic research are clearly part of the
communications industry also. These fields are mostly concerned with presented
information about a specific are areas of study, company or brand (Wisegeek, 2012).
Therefore, based on all the information above, the targeted audience is rather different
in a numbers context. General journalism involving the broadcast of news provides a
spread of information aimed at appealing to people of all ages and of all interests.
World news corporations (BBC, News of the World, CNN) aim at spreading their
news brand as far across the world as it will go, translating their news into other
languages in order to go further. Work from the communications industry is aimed at
a specific target audience. With public relations and journal articles as well as other
academic pieces of writing are targeted at specific people using the product or who
are associated with the company or brand (Wisegeek, 2012). Music and film are also
advertised to a specific market whether by admirers of a particular genre or by age as
well as a number of other cultural factors.
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In completely analysing the elements of both journalism and other areas of the media
and communications industry using the examples above, it is clear that the landscape
is changing in keeping up with technology. The key differences between the two are
their aims and objectives, qualifications to practise, its medium of broadcast as well
as its content and targeted audience. Traditional journalism still encompasses
traditional news values and reports on topical, current areas of interest whether on
radio, television or in our newspapers. Other areas of the wider media industry have
different aims and objectives and is forever expanding and often encroaching on the
role of journalist and reporting on areas of relevant interest to a bigger cross-section
of the community at large.
In only analysing a few of the other areas of the media and communications industry
key differences are evident. Even where there are areas of ambiguity such as whom in
the future will be considered to be a journalist, one thing remains the same. The key
aims and objectives of each differ to that of journalism. Journalism is primarily aimed
at providing the majority of the public with information pursuant to recognisable news
values outlined above whereas other areas of the media and communications industry
are focused on smaller cross sections of the general public with differing aims and
objectives.
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REFERENCE LIST
TEXTBOOKS
Lamble, S 2011, News as it Happens: An Introduction to Journalism, Oxford
University Press, Victoria.
WEBSITES
The Social Baker, Australia Facebook Statistics, viewed 11th March 2012, <
http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/australia>
Harmon, D 2012, What is the Difference Between Communications and Journalism,
Wisegeek, viewed 30th March 2012, <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-thedifference-between-communications-and-journalism.htm>
Venn, D 2011, The Elements of Effective Public Relations, viewed 28th March 2012, <
http://www.dvenn.com/blog/2011/5/30/the-elements-of-effective-publicrelations.html>
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Dueze, M 2005, ‘What is journalism?: Professional identity and ideology of
journalists reconsidered’, Sage Publications: Journalism, vol. 6, no. 442, p7-9.
Clayman, S 2002, ‘Tribune of the People: Maintaining the legitimacy of aggressive
journalism’, Media Culture Society, vol. 24, no. 197, p3)
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Lamb, DM 2012, ‘Kony 2012: Journalism and the viral video’, CBC News, 9 March,
2012, viewed 11 March, 2012 < http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/03/09/fvp-lamb-kony-2102.html>
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