/* This was actually an article submission I wrote but thought I'd put it on the blog anyway */

Journalism

We live in a world where information is power, the more one knows about what is going on in the world the better able we are to make informed decisions and predict the impact on others. For most people, the demands of daily life leaves little time to digest the events of the world at large let alone seek out information on current topics that may spark their own interest or affect their livelihood in some way.

It may be here, that today’s Journalists provide a vital service to the general public by collecting and formatting information that ideally is: easily understood by the public, free from personal bias, provides enough factual information for the audience to either reinforce or reconsider their own opinions.

Especially in a democratic government which operates under the assumption of an informed and engaged electorate, journalism becomes a pillar supporting the foundations of society. To quote Thomas Jefferson:

Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government;... whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights. -Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price, 1789.

People rely on the journalistic profession to provide information of what is happening in their own elected government, without journalists investigating and researching events people would be unable to make informed decisions on who has best represented their interests or if elected officials have lived up to the promises they made when voted into office.

With the weight of such a responsibility to the public journalists must also aspire to a good standard of journalism where they provide their audience with information without colouring it with personal bias, as well as recognizing as many different perspectives or ‘angles’ of a story to present the reader with as much of a complete view as possible. A good example is a recent article on the CBC website entitled “McGuinty doesn't rue secrecy on G20 law”, which explains some of the aftermath of the security surrounding the G20 world leaders summit held in Toronto.

The article balances the opinions of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty with criticisms from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association regarding the granting of broader police powers granted during the summit as well as a lack of public information about the new regulations. The article also provides background information on the event, providing facts into the powers used and reaction of those who were affected by it.

To maintain this standard of good journalism a journalist should exhibit certain qualities and interests to excel at the profession. Primarily they should have a strong sense of curiosity to discover the truth behind what they are writing and a keen power of observation to uncover stories from the most innocuous places. When writing the ability to keep a neutral tone requires integrity and a sense of balance to present as many different sides as possible would serve a journalist well in their career serving the public interest.

Journalism plays an important role in our society, though perhaps too often it is taken for granted as people look to be entertained rather than informed about our world and the events that drive it. However, if journalists hold to their duty to their readers by keeping true to the ideals of providing accurate, balanced and relevant information to the public then perhaps when things get too far wrong, they may be relied on to set things right.