What is a journalist?

            Journalism is the art of delivering unbiased news about the world and society we live in – and since that world is constantly changing, the concept of journalism and those who report it is equally fluctuant. The traditional idea of a journalist is an energetic and usually charismatic individual who carries an itching curiosity and a desire to make a difference in their world. They are good writers and love to be with people and experience new things. Journalists need to be honest and unbiased, so that they deliver truthful and reliable stories.

While today’s journalists still deliver these traditional stories and portray these traditional behaviors, the changing times has given them much more creative liberty. The arrival of the Internet has introduced a new form of competition in the world of journalism, so journalists have a greater pressure to capture their audience’s attention in order to keep viewers or readers interested. This adds an element of entertainment to the traditional definition of a journalist. Group one captured this concept perfectly in their demonstration, especially with the rapping weatherman video-clip.

Group One delivered a well-constructed lesson. They led the discussion with enthusiasm and were very entertaining in both their demonstrations and their lectures.  They found well-pertaining video clips and were able to creatively tie in a common game into their lesson: comparing candy bowls with profit. Because media is a business, it caters to its viewers and what the audience wants. As Group one discussed, there are three types of audience viewers: 1) an involved public, 2) an interested public, and 3) and uninterested public. Media will cater its stories to either of the first two groups, in order to remain in business and continue delivering news. Group one tied this lesson in well with the game and the clips.

Because of this need to deliver to the public, being a journalist can be a catch-22. On one hand, journalists want to deliver stories they believe the public needs to hear; on the other hand, in order to finance the newspaper or station they work for, journalists deliver stories they believe the public wants to hear.