It is no secret, that we all enjoy reading something that's entertaining, well atleast I do. As a writer I like to write things that will entertain people. However, as a journalist I won't necessarily have that option. Sure their are entertainment sections and magazines, but when dealing with hard news articles, you're not writing to entertain, you're writing to inform.
News accounts, as we stated above, should aim for truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth--not the excitement, the whole excitement, and nothing but the excitement. (pp. 53)
As we've disscussed in class you have to remain objective, and that means viewing a strory from both sides, or from however many sides there are. We don't have the luxury not to, our careers and reputations, depend on how "truthful" we report stories.
Comments (3)
You're right, as journalists we can't always entertain people unless our editor assigns us to an entertainment piece. We have to be continuously searching for the truth; even if it is exhausting!
Posted by Maddie Gillespie | October 22, 2007 8:55 AM
Posted on October 22, 2007 08:55
You had some interesting points and I agree. People are mostly interested in the bad things that happen to people or pretty much things in general. Nobody will want to hear about just some random person like falling asleep on their couch or something. Its not interesting and nobody will pay attention to it or care. So I agree with you fully!
Posted by Michelle Polly | October 26, 2007 12:53 PM
Posted on October 26, 2007 12:53
I agree with you Jara. A journalist doesn't have the option to be fluffy with their material. They are there to deliver the cold, hard facts. If the public doesn't think it's catchy enough, then they need to look elsewhere for news.
People today seem to only want to know about celebrity "news". Do they really care about the war in Iraq? What about the economy? It's frustrating, but it's the truth. Journalists have to deal with it, but then again, it's not our job to write article after article of fluffy garbage.
Posted by Corey Struss | November 1, 2007 10:27 PM
Posted on November 1, 2007 22:27