The Process of Journalism
Craft or Profession
The Process
Every job has a process. It’s how things are done on the job. How do people learn how to do a job? They train for it. They learn the process. How? Depends on the job.
If you are learning a trade skill (e.g. engineer, electrician, technician, mechanic, plumber, carpenter), you might begin training as an apprentice to someone who has the skill you want to learn. As you gain experience in that trade you can eventually work your way up to being a master tradesperson (e.g. master electrician, master mechanic, master plumber, master carpenter).
My father was a master electrician and refrigeration mechanic. He owned his own small business, and so I apprenticed with him one summer and quickly learned his trade was not for me. Becoming an apprentice is a great way of either finding your life’s work or removing it from your list of potential careers.
If you are learning a profession (e.g. teacher, doctor, lawyer), you would attend a college or university to get the education and training necessary for the licensing requirements for the profession.
So, what about journalists? What kind of training do they get to learn how to gather and report news?
There was a time many years ago when journalism was looked at as a trade or craft rather than a profession. I remember those days. Someone who wanted to become a journalist would apprentice at a newspaper, magazine, or broadcast station, and work their way up to becoming a reporter, writer, anchor, editor, etc. Many of the great journalists of the past started as apprentices at a newspaper or radio station and worked their way up to becoming full-time journalists. While some media still do that, most now require a college degree in fields like journalism, mass communications or radio/television. Why?
College degrees were not a requirement when I started in the news business in the 1960s. It was fine to have one, but not necessary. Many people earned two-year degrees from a junior college, and others earned diplomas from trade or business schools that had a print, communications, radio/television or film program. That was plenty to get a person started in the business, and the pay was usually the same whether you had a four-year degree or not.
Craft
I think of journalism as both a craft and a profession. You don’t have to be a paid journalist to keep a journal. Lots of people keep “journals” as a hobby or craft. The craft of journalism can become a profession when a person is paid to write for a journal (e.g. newspaper, magazine, television station, radio station). A craft includes skills and rules that must be followed in order for the craft to work properly.
Some of my fellow journalists may not agree with me about this and that’s okay. Journalists have debated the topic for decades. I remember attending panel discussions at annual RTNDA meetings decades ago where journalists disagreed about whether they were professionals or skilled craftspeople.
Whatever we think of ourselves as journalists (professional, tradesperson or craftsperson), the main thing is that we understand the process of doing the job and have a solid method of training people to do the job at the same high level.
That’s one of the reasons I like the term craftsperson for journalism. It connotes the idea of excellence in a particular field. Journalists should be excellent at what they do.
Reality
The reality, unfortunately, is that much of journalism is not excellent today. It’s similar in other professions, trades or crafts. We can compare the craftsmanship of previous generations to what’s being produced or built today. How many of us have noticed the disparity between the quality of yesteryear and today? How often have we heard someone say, “They don’t make things the way they used to.” Even though the technology for making things has improved tremendously, the quality of some products is often lacking.
The same can also be said for journalism. The technological advances in broadcast and print communications that I and other journalists have experienced since the 1960s is staggering. However, in my opinion, the quality of journalism hasn't advanced in keeping with the technology.
Good journalism, the kind that news consumers can trust, is not different than what our parents and grandparents believed was good journalism. As I’ve written previously, good journalism is accurate (true) and objective (fair). That’s simple to say, but apparently hard to reproduce from one generation to the next. That’s one of the main reasons for this newsletter — to improve the quality of journalism and increase the public’s trust.
Understanding The Process
The process of journalism is not hard to understand. In fact, it’s quite straightforward —
Gather
Confirm
Report
A journalist 'gathers’ information for a story, ‘confirms’ the veracity (truthfulness, accuracy) of the information, and then ‘reports’ the information through a journalistic medium (e.g. broadcast, print, online).
The next step is understanding each part of the process —
Process of Gathering Information
Process of Confirming Information
Process of Reporting Information
Understanding The Method
That leads us to understanding the ‘method’ or ‘methodology’ of each step in the journalistic process.
Some people compare it to the ‘scientific’ method, and others to the ‘investigative’ method. Let’s look at each to see what we can learn about the best process for the best journalism.
First, the scientific method —
The principles and empirical processes of discovery and demonstration considered characteristic of or necessary for scientific investigation, generally involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis. — The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses — Merriam-Webster
Steps in the scientific method include —
Making Observations
Asking Questions
Collecting Data
Testing Hypothesis
Conducting Experiments
Detailing Results
Reaching Conclusion
Next, let’s look at the investigative method —
intended to examine a situation in order to discover the truth — Cambridge Dictionary
Of or relating to investigation: investigative methods. Characterized by or engaged in investigation; specializing in uncovering and reporting hidden information — The Free Dictionary
This is the method a professional investigator would do (e.g. law enforcement, defense, prosecuting, private) —
Gathering Evidence
Analyzing Evidence
Validating Evidence
Developing Theories Based On Evidence
Validating Theories Based On Evidence
Using Reason To Reach Conclusion Based On Evidence
Identifying Suspect Based On Evidence
Arresting And Charging Suspect Based On Evidence
Most journalists are not scientists, law enforcement, or members of the legal profession. Networks and larger newspapers do have journalists who have professional training in those fields, but most journalists are not specialists. Most are what we might call “generalists.” They are trained to cover almost any type of story on a daily basis. They learn a particular process that equips them to cover the news.
So, the question becomes what method should most journalists use as they go through their process of covering the news?
Testing The Method
I think the journalistic method is a mix of both methods — scientific and investigative. I’ve found both helpful during the last 55 years.
Journalists should be heavily dependent on evidence that can be gathered, analyzed, and validated. Journalists make observations, ask questions, and collect data (information) to use in analyzing the information. We might call that the “external” side of the journalistic method.
So, what’s the “internal” side? I think of a newsroom as a type of information laboratory. Reporters and photographers bring back their findings about stories and present them to other members of the news team — producers, editors, anchors, and managers. Each of those people have their own special skills and experience. The ‘inside’ newsroom team tests the hypothesis of the ‘outside’ reporting team to validate their findings and theories about a story. The conclusion reached through that external and internal process becomes the approved news story the public sees, hears or reads.
The journalistic method works very well, when it works. The reason I say that is because too often it doesn’t. News coverage today often lacks curiosity, skepticism, objectivity, and accuracy — all necessary elements for journalism that news consumers can trust. I’m concerned that we may be witnessing the return of yellow journalism. I hope not.
Yellow Journalism?
I remember studying about “yellow journalism” in college in the mid-1960s. Yellow journalism (yellow press) was a term that came from the late 19th century when some newspapers exploited, distorted, or exaggerated the news “to create sensations and attract readers” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition).
The term came from newspaper circulation wars between publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. While some of the papers’ news coverage was accurate, other coverage was sensationalized for the purpose of getting more readers and making more money. Journalism and communications students in the 1960s were taught to avoid returning to the days of ‘yellow’ journalism.
How do we protect the integrity of the journalistic process? By depending on both external and internal news coverage checks and balances. If everyone on the news team does their job correctly, they can help improve the public’s trust of the news they consume every day.
What’s A News Consumer To Do?
News consumers are not without options when it comes to news coverage that is biased and/or inaccurate. Consumers don’t have to buy a product. News consumers don’t have to watch, read or listen to news they think is biased or inaccurate. They can walk away by changing the channel or clicking to another news site. That’s an easy option and it’s happening today in large numbers. However, is that the best option?
I don’t think it is the best option and here’s why I say that. The trust-gap between journalists and news consumers is getting wider every year. It’s especially wide if the consumer is an Independent or Republican. I think we need to seriously consider something else, which is one of the reasons for this newsletter.
Let’s talk about it. Let’s open lines of communication and figure out how journalists can do their jobs better and how the public can trust the news media more. I often hear people say, “We need to have a conversation” about difficult issues. I agree. We need conversations where everyone is respected and heard.
Another option is for the public to communicate their concerns directly to journalists and journalism organizations. That includes local and national news outlets. The Federal Communications Commission has this recommendation —
The FCC receives a wide variety of comments and complaints about the accuracy or bias of news networks, stations, reporters or commentators in how they cover – or sometimes opt not to cover – events. Other complaints concern the conduct of journalists in the gathering and reporting of news.
The FCC's authority to respond to these complaints is narrow in scope, and the agency is prohibited by law from engaging in censorship or infringing on First Amendment rights of the press. Moreover, the FCC cannot interfere with a broadcaster's selection and presentation of news or commentary.
Broadcasters may not intentionally distort the news. The FCC states that "rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest."
All comments and/or concerns about a specific news broadcast or commentary should be directed to the local station and network involved, so that the people responsible for making the programming decisions can become better informed about audience opinion.
The FCC may act only when it has received documented evidence, such as testimony from persons who have direct personal knowledge of an intentional falsification of the news. Without such documented evidence, the FCC generally cannot intervene.
I agree that news consumers should share their complaints with local news media outlets first. I worked as a news manager for more than 30 years and talked with many members of the public who wanted to share their concerns about news coverage. I found that being respectful often opened doors for communication that led to mutual understanding about how our station covered and reported stories. The same would be true for local newspapers.
You may find it a little more difficult to reach someone at a network or website, but give it a try. If you can’t reach them by phone, try email. Be respectful and see if that helps open the door for some good conversations with members of the news media.
Next Newsletter
We’ll take a closer look at the importance of logic and reason in journalism in the next newsletter.
Comments Welcome
I hope these thoughts are helpful to you as a journalist or news consumer. Please share your comments and I’ll respond as quickly as I can. If you like what we’re doing in this newsletter, please let your friends know about it so they can subscribe for free.
Newsletter Purpose
The purpose of this newsletter is to help journalists understand how to do real journalism and the public know how they can find news they can trust on a daily basis. It’s a simple purpose, but complicated to accomplish. I’ll do my best to make it as clear as I can in future newsletters.
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Spot on - Old Friend and News Warrior - This is an outstanding summary worthy of University presentation