Theory and practice of mass information

1.

Theory and practice of
mass information
Introduction and Principles of
Journalism

2.

Goals for February
01
02
03
To go through historical
developments and
milestones in journalism.
To understand basic
principles of journalism:
completeness,
transparency, originality
and fairness.
To evaluate how
journalism can impact
people: restraint,
humanity, accountability,
empowerment.

3.

Historical developments in journalism
Journalism is the gathering, organizing, and
distribution of news - to include feature stories and
commentary - through the wide variety of print and
non-print media outlets.
The earliest reference to a journalistic product comes
from Rome circa 59 B.C., when news was recorded in a
circular called the Acta Diurna. It enjoyed daily
publication and was hung strategically throughout the
city for all to read, or for those who were able to read.

4.

Historical developments in journalism
During the Tang dynasty, from 618
A.D. to 907 A.D., China prepared a
court report, then named a bao, to
distribute to government officials for
the purpose of keeping them informed
of relevant events. It continued
afterward in a variety of forms and
names until the end of 1911, and the
demise of the Qing dynasty.

5.

Historical developments in journalism
The first indication of a regular news publication can be traced to
Germany, 1609, and the initial paper published in the English
language (albeit "old English") was the newspaper known as
the Weekly Newes from 1622.
The Daily Courant, however, first appearing in 1702, was the first
daily paper for public consumption.
It should come as no surprise that these earliest forays into
keeping the public informed were met with government
opposition in many cases. They attempted to impose censorship
by placing restrictions and taxes on publishers as a way to curb
freedom of the press. But literacy among the population was
growing along with the introduction of technology that improved
printing and circulation.

6.

Historical developments in journalism
Soon after newspapers, the creation of the magazines became widespread as
well. The first ones were periodicals such as the Tattler and Spectator. Both were
initial attempts to marry articles of opinions with current events, and by the
1830s, magazines were common mass-circulated periodicals that appealed to a
broader audience. They included illustrated serials aimed specifically at the
female audience.
Slowly, news agencies formed to take the place of independent publishers. They
would hire people to gather and write news reports, and then sell these stories to
a variety of individual news outlets. However, the print media was soon about to
come head-to-head with an entirely new form of news gathering -- first, with the
invention of the telegraph, then quickly followed by the radio, the television, and
mass broadcasting. It was an evolution of technology that seemed all but
inevitable.

7.

Historical developments in journalism
Not everyone was enamored with news reporting. When the
earliest colonies were settling into life on this continent, there
were many influential leaders that spoke with disdain about the
press.
It was 1690 when the first colonial news sheet appeared.
Titled Boston's Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and
Domestick, it was published by Benjamin Harris whose first
story was disparaging of the British, causing the paper to be put
out of business a short four days later!
Over the coming three quarter of the century, as might be
expected, this secondhand news was misquoted and provided
inaccurate information on a regular basis.

8.

Recent history of journalism
There is no question that the professionalism of this industry has grown
immensely since the days of yellow journalism. There are several factors that
are credited with this, including the fact that journalism became a recognized
area of study at the university level, giving it a sense of importance missing
prior to this.
At the same time, social responsibility became the hallmark of journalism and
journalists themselves elevated the profession through the creation of
professional organizations. "A free and responsible press" is the battle cry of
the journalist today, as ethics and standards are an important consideration of
all who enter the profession.
The news has been changing with the introduction of new technologies. Even
with the introduction of radio, and later, television, newspapers remained the
most trusted source of information for most Americans, who only
supplemented them with non-print media information. That is not so today.
Non-print media dominate news acquisition by the public, and it has become
more influential than could have been suspected in its infancy.

9.

» Why we need news?
» The role of journalism in society
» The importance of free speech and free
media
Let’s discuss
» How journalism and democracy are
linked?
» Links between technology and
journalism

10.

Milestones in journalism
Early
Journalism
By 1400
businessmen in
Italian and German
cities were
compiling handwritten chronicles
of important news
and events
The Oxford
Gazette
The Oxford Gazette
was printed in 1665
by Muddiman in
the middle of the
great plague in
London
Freedom
of speech
In 1694 the final
lapse of licensing
order had been put
in place by the
Stuart Kings to end
heavy handed
censorship

11.

Milestones in journalism
Benjamin
Harris
Was convicted for
defaming the King's
authority in 17th
century. He was put in
prison because could
not pay the fine.
However, he flew later
to America, where he
founded one of
America's first
newspapers
Britain's
Upcoming
In 18th century Britain
was an extending
Empire, and as a result
there was a boom in
journalism, periodicals,
newspapers and
journalism
First Daily
Newspaper
The first daily
newspaper in the
world was the Daily
Courant, established
by Samuel Buckley in
1702 on the streets of
London

12.

Milestones in journalism
Taxing
Newspapers
Due to increased
popularity and
influence of
newspapers, which
was not appealing to
the government,
they have imposed a
tax on them
The Storm
Daniel Defoe was
seen as a pioneer of
modern journalism
after he published
"The Storm" in 1704,
which was called the
first substantial work
of modern
journalism
Early 19th
Century
By 19th century
there were 52
London papers and
over 100 other titles.
Unable or unwilling
to pay the tax more
than hundred of new
untaxed newspapers
appeared

13.

Milestones in journalism
Newspapers
rising
After the reduction of
the stamp tax from 4
pence to 1 penny, the
circulation of English
newspapers rose from
39 mln to 122 mln by
1854
The
Manchester
Guardian
Became the British
National Daily
Newspaper in 1821 by
a group of nonconformist
businessmen. By 1890
it became a world
famous newspaper
Paving the
way to
modern
tabloid
The new journalism
reached out not to the
elite but to a popular
audience, especially
influential was William
Thomas Stead, a
controversial journalist
and editor, who
pioneered the art of
investigative
journalism

14.

Milestones in journalism
A new
look
After Stead became
an assistant editor
of the Liberal Pall
Mall Gazette in
1880, he started
incorporating maps
and diagrams into a
newspapers
Daily
Herald
Socialist and
Labour newspapers
also proliferated
and in 1912 the
Daily Herals was
launched as a
newspaper of the
trade union and
labour movement
Daily
Main
Alfred Harmsworth
was the creator of
emphasizing
sensational topics
and in 1896 he
published the first
Daily Main, which
became a hit

15.

Milestones in journalism
A new
look
After Stead became
an assistant editor
of the Liberal Pall
Mall Gazette in
1880, he started
incorporating maps
and diagrams into a
newspapers
Daily
Herald
Socialist and
Labour newspapers
also proliferated
and in 1912 the
Daily Herals was
launched as a
newspaper of the
trade union and
labour movement
Daily
Main
Alfred Harmsworth
was the creator of
emphasizing
sensational topics
and in 1896 he
published the first
Daily Main, which
became a hit

16.

Journalism is about facts
Journalism
is…
People who do journalism and
just put nonfactual information
have to realize that’s not
journalism

17.

What makes
something
journalism?
• Was there enough evidence?
• What about a diversity of sources, quotes, relevance,
timeliness?
• From whose perspective was a story written?
• Whose perspective is not in the story?
• What are the biases (obvious or subtle)?
• What makes you trust a news outlet?

18.

Four types of journalism
LOCAL
NATIONAL
SATIRICAL
ON-THESTREET

19.

Imagine. . .
YOU ARE THE DIRECTOR OF A
NIGHTLY NEWS SHOW IN GOTHAM
CITY.
YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES OF TIME TO
DEVOTE TO THE NEWS.
IS IT HARD-HITTING NEWS?
GIVE YOUR SHOW A NAME AND
AN EDITORIAL ANGLE.
FEATURE STORIES?
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM?
AIMED AT YOUNG PEOPLE?

20.

For example
1. Fire on 86th street — one person killed, six people escape.
2. Actor Chris Pine charged with sexual harassment.
3. Entire police force in Gotham City just completed a six-month course on race relations.
4. Paris Designers' new spring fashions. Kendall Jenner & others will appear as models.
5. Michael B. Jordan is appearing at a popular Gotham department store tomorrow.
What can people do after seeing your show?

21.

You’re the editor. . .
What makes a story “important”?
STORY OUTLINE
• Who?
• What?
What make it relevant and meaningful
to a particular audience?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
What do all stories have to contain?
• How?

22.

Four types of journalism
LOCAL
NATIONAL
SATIRICAL
ON-THESTREET

23.

8 subtypes of Journalism in hard news
Investigative
Journalism
Political
Journalism
Crime
Journalism
Business
Journalism
Arts
Journalism
Celebrity
Journalism
Education
Journalism
Sports
Journalism

24.

Ethics
Ethics - moral principles
that govern a person's
behaviour or the conducting
of an activity.
An ethical behavior is the
application of moral
principles in a given situation.
It means to behave according
to the moral standards set by
the society which we live in.

25.

Kobe Bryant’s
Past: A Tweet Too
Soon?
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant died at the age of 41 in
a helicopter crash in the Los Angeles area. While the
majority of social media praised Bryant after his death,
within a few hours after the story broke, Felicia Sonmez, a
reporter for The Washington Post, tweeted a link to an
article from 2003 about the allegations of sexual assault
against Bryant.
The question:
1. Is there a limit to truth-telling?
2. How long (if at all) should a journalist wait after a
person’s death before resurfacing sensitive information
about their past?

26.

Deep Throat,
and His Motive
The Watergate story is considered perhaps
American journalism’s defining
accomplishment. Two intrepid young
reporters for The Washington Post, carefully
verifying and expanding upon information
given to them by sources they went to great
lengths to protect, revealed brutally
damaging information about one of the most
powerful figures on Earth, the American
president.
The question:
1. Is protecting a source more important
than revealing all the relevant information
about a news story?

27.

Basic principles
of journalism
Completeness
• Our coverage should reflect
the true complexity of the
world we live in
• Be thoughtful in adding
information online
• Timeliness is a dimension of
completeness

28.

Completeness
• When we say our reporting is complete, it means we
understand the bigger picture of a story – which facts
are most important and how they relate to one another.
• It's unrealistic to expect that every story should
represent every perspective on an issue. But in our
reporting, we must do our best to be aware of all
perspectives, the facts supporting or opposing each, and
the different groups of stakeholders affected by the
issue.
• Only then can we determine what's best to include in the
time and space we have.

29.

Basic principles
of journalism
Transparency
• Start with anticipated
questions
• Why we’re doing this
story?
• How we’re doing this
story?
• What else you should
know?
• Where does this
information go?

30.

Transparency
• Fundamentally, transparency elements are designed to tell your audience
what you want them to know about you — your processes, your people,
your motivation, your ethics and your values.
• Sometimes with those elements, we’re answering questions we’ve seen
our users wonder about publicly (in a comment, in an email, etc.)
• Sometimes, though, we’re adding information that users might not even
know they need but will actually appreciate. We might want to tell them, for
example, that a group of editors debated which word or photo to use for 15
minutes.
• A good way, therefore, to kickstart your transparency effort is to make a list
of what your audience members have asked you to explain and what you
wish they understood.

31.

Basic principles
of journalism
Originality
• Original and best
• Mindset and habits
• Curiosity
• Listen to your reactions

32.

The phrase 'original journalism' is close to a tautology - or at
least it should be. Journalism is all about telling people
something new; something arresting; something that grabs
their attention.
All journalists - even the ones we all admire - worry about
how original they're actually being; where the next genuine
story is coming from.
Originality
Original journalism takes skill - a skill you can learn but a skill
that many in the trade think is becoming harder to practice.
Originality takes work, time and application. It means hard
work - not just for a few days but continuously. It might mean
a change of mindset and almost certainly means a change of
habits. The choice is yours.

33.

Basic principles of
journalism
Fairness
• Exploring all sides of an issue
• Right of reply
• Seeking a response
• Editorial independence

34.

Fairness
• Fairness in journalism means exploring all
sides of an issue and reporting the findings
accurately.
• A journalist should have no motivation other
than presenting sourced and verified facts.
• In some cases, people who have already
been interviews will decide to withdraw their
consent. You should consider their
objections, but whether you use the material
or not is an editorial decision and must be
based on whether it is in the public interest
to publish the material

35.

How journalism can impact
people
• Journalism reflects society. It contributes to these
goals by pursuing the truth and offering an accurate
and thorough picture of events and situations.
• Journalism serves as the "voice of the voiceless,"
conveying the views of all sections of the population. It
acts as a link between the administration and the
public.
• Because it is through journalism that citizens are
informed and encouraged to act.

36.

In conflict-affected societies, journalism has a crucial part in shaping the
public’s perception and knowledge of national identity, history, conflict
and peace efforts.
When mediating a conflict, journalists do not just circulate information
about it, but also define, frame, deliberate and promote it. That is why
journalists are one of the key actors in the mediation of information
during conflicts and post-conflict periods.
Restraint
Conflicts pose many constraints and difficulties for journalists, but the
cessation of violence or transitions to a more peaceful state present no
fewer challenging conditions.
Political pressures and professional and ethical dilemmas experienced
during the conflict could still affect journalists. As the dynamics of the
conflict change, journalists in conflict-affected societies renegotiate their
role in society and (re)establish their professionalism.

37.

Humanity
• Our goal as journalists isn’t just to
inform the public, but in fact to connect
with them through stories, shared
experiences, and the important
developments in our world.
• In order to enable that, we must act
with humanity and with the values and
emotions that inspire human
connection.
“Humans connect through
vulnerability. News organizations
should show vulnerability in order to
connect”
– Erica Berger, October 23, 2012

38.

Accountability
• The media fostering accountability is about the purpose of good journalism: building a society in which the
powerful are accountable to the public, where relevant information is shared and explained, where there is space
for democratic initiative and where citizens can exchange opinions fairly. This is promoted through an independent
and diverse media landscape, with quality journalism adhering to ethical standards.
• To be able to represent society and its concerns, journalism and media should reflect that society and give room
to all its diverse voices.

39.

Empowerment
• The media has the ability to influence
people’s behavior, in the form of thoughts,
speech, or action
• The media has the ability to aim its message
to whomever it wishes globally, and it has
the ability to produce whatever information
supports its interest
• Priming is another influential power of the
media. The media cannot control what the
people think, but it can project what they
should think about.