It won’t speak well if a clear difference between “journalist and journalism” isn’t clearly stated. So, to start with; A journalist, is someone whose work covers news or information gatherings, happenings of past, present and future events, it may be inform of photography, bulleting or reports of a particular concurrence. He gathers news in a verified manner in line with journalistic etiquettes and professionalism.
However, journalism is the activity or profession of being a journalist. The aggregating, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles for widespread distribution, typically in periodical print publications and broadcast news media, for the purpose of informing the audience.
The style of writing characteristic of material in periodical print publications and broadcast news media, consisting of direct presentation of facts or events with an attempt to minimize analysis or interpretation.
In lieu to the above assertion, today’s modern journalism brims the face of two-sided coin, of which the sides are…. good and bad. According to K.Minogue, a journalist has the full power to mould the information they received in to propaganda or they could just report the news with addition of both sides of the story— either way.
However, it is important to note that journalism has evolved today, unlike in the past. It has passed through series of changes as the world revolves around new age. The internet has ushered in new era—the era of digital age. This days, the individuals have exposed to different medium of receiving news via mobile devices.
This new phase–modernity, has positively contributed to easy dissemination of news content to the general public unlike it was in the past.
Let’s take for example, breaking news notifications and human interest news can be received in real time on mobile devices. With the emergence of Internet media, the use of digital reporting method became a drawback for journalists trained in the early 60s because things have changed.
However, today’s journalist is expected to add to his writing prowess, photography and video skills, and this stands as the concrete reason why some media houses need to add to their operatives; training journalist on photography and video skills to enhance and meet the standard as today’s means of dissemination of news demands.
Journalism has gone far beyond professionalism as we now have individual or self investigative journalist and, this has been a great help to journalists.
Although, Internet has hijacked and galvanized over the traditional ways of news reportage we’ve known for years as the world is rapidly changing it’s method of disseminating information. Nevertheless, a good media house should see things beyond, and take its advantage as the utmost reason to improve the quality of their journalism etiquettes so as to differentiate between the untrained and a professional one in the course of disseminating news to the general public.
Thank you.
I am Abdulrouf Wasiu
Osun, Nigeria.