Introduction to Journalism Instructor: Samina Wahid Perozani

Lecture one January 4, 2012IntroductionJournalisms relevance in this day and ageWhen we say journalism we are talking specifically about print journalism since that is where it all begins. You learn the basics in print journalism and then you choose whether or not you want to stick to it or more on to radio, TV or online journalism. Thus, this course is strictly about print journalism and what goes into the making of a print journalist.Print journalism includes, daily and weekly newspapers, magazines (weekly, monthly, quarterly) and journals. However, the term is now used loosely to refer to online journalism which includes news websites and blogs.

Journalisms relevance (continued)While print journalism, according to most people, is slowly dying because less and less people have the time and inclination to read newspapers, it remains an integral part of most societies, particularly developing societies such as ours where information is often misrepresented and kept from the public. It is only because of the advent of free, and mostly private, media that information is out in the open for all to see and read.Journalism, or more specifically journalists, are considered to be the voice of the masses whose concerns, especially in developing countries, are often overlooked and suppressed. It brings facts to the forefront and helps give perspective on things that you may have misunderstood.

Journalisms relevance (continued)The 20th and 21st centuries are the ages of information overload. We know too much about too many things at the same time. There is a lot of information out there which may or may not be correct and news organisations serve as an important tool for the verification of some of those, if not all, facts. Without credible news sources such as newspapers and television channels, we wouldnt know who to believe because we dont have the time and, in many cases, ability to carry out fact-checking. Neither can we distinguish fact from opinion or speculation.What is news?As the name suggests, it is something current and new that has happened or is happening around you. News holds an important place in our lives because it represents the world to us and the reality of it. News is a process; or rather an amalgamation of processes that mediate information, select it, edit it, emphasise some parts of it, distort it and even manipulate it. News, that is, raw information which is eventually constructed as news is turned into narrative, a mode of story-telling.

What is news? (continued)The nature of news is selective. For example, the elite appear more often in the news than ordinary people or less prestigious societies and nations. The nature of news is reciprocal if you are important, then the news covers what you say or do, if the news covers what you say or do, you become important. You become a known instead of unknown. Also worth remembering is that what is news to one person may not be news to another it all depends on what interests you and what you can relate to. For example, you only read what you interests you in the paper, be it sports or business or international pages. Or you may be likely to read a news story about student from SZABIST because you can relate to that.

What is news? (continued)It is important to understand how news is received by the audience. We have to see how audience views the news, how they use it, how far it informs them and whether or not it influences them. The news reconstructs the world according to the perceptions of those who produce the news and those who employ or influence the news producers. We should also try and discover the extent to which the audiences take on board the reality presented by the news. Evolution of newsNews gathering before the advent of internet and the age of information technology was primitive. Printed news had to be phoned into a news room or brought in by a reporter where it was typed and manually set. Today, thanks to the internet, breaking news and hourly updates are not uncommon. You dont have to wait a whole day to get the news and television has made news accessible as well. Today, current events have been brought into the consumers homes live as they happen. Many times, the reporter is also editing his/her copy and uploading his/her news. It can be a one-man show and the use of specialised skills is declining in the business.