The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel is an attempt of two press critics to trace the change of public opinion towards journalism over the decades. Exploring the reasons for people’s lack of trust and, often, hatred towards the journalists, the authors managed to identify the main responsibilities and principles of journalism. The Elements of Journalism helps beginners learn about the profession of journalism giving instructions on how to succeed in this profession and which skills and qualities to develop to make a good journalist.
Firstly, The Elements of Journalism gives a great opportunity to learn about the profession of a journalist. Kovach and Rosenstiel state that “We need news to live our lives, protect ourselves, bond with each other, identify friends and enemies. Journalism is simply the system societies generate to supply this news” (2). This explains the essence of the profession of a journalist, namely, delivering news to the population; in addition, it provides an explanation as to why people with the information they get to be truthful. The reason is that the quality of the information delivered by a journalist has a direct influence on the quality of people’s lives, as well as their thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions of the outside world. The authors’ presenting the profession of a journalist from this perspective adds value to their book because thus they help the future journalists to learn that their competence should be of primary importance to them.
Apart from mentioning what journalism involves, the book also shows how to succeed in this profession. It seems that the greatest merit of this book consists in teaching the beginners the rudiments of journalism. With respect to this, the section “Truth: The First and Most Confusing Principle” communicates the authors’ purposes in writing best of all. This section discusses the notion of journalistic truth which the authors call the goal of this profession: “In real life, people can tell when someone has come close to getting it right when the sourcing is authoritative when the research is exhaustive when the method is transparent” (Kovach and Rosenstiel 45). This shows that only then a journalist will be able to gain the public’s trust when he/she gives it the evidence of the research, the reliable sources of information, and the proof that this information is verified.
One of the greatest contributions of this book to my learning, in particular, is it’s outlining the basic principles of journalism. Since I am new to broadcast journalism, this was especially helpful for me for it gave me an idea of the journalist’s professional ethics. There are four principles which I found most important: “1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. 2. Its first loyalty is to citizens. 3. Its essence is a discipline of verification. 4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover” (Kovach and Rosenstiel 5). This outlines the major qualities of a good journalist: loyal, responsible, and impartial. Thus, this book gave a start to my list of professional journalist qualities, the list which I am planning to keep expanding in the course of my learning and future career.
In conclusion, The Elements of Journalism, though it is not a study book, can be easily used for instructing beginners about what the profession of journalism involves. Its language is simple and accessible and, though the authors are rarely emotional, the book is quite convincing. Besides, the examples which it provides are bright and illustrative, which makes the book not only instructive but entertaining at the same time.
References
Kovach, Bill and Rosenstiel, Tom. The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007.