Elements of Journalism (By SooDoneWithYou)

Introduction:

Heya, it's Soo, back with another thread. I hope you enjoy.

Journalism is something that has become much more prominent in modern society, especially citizen journalism. Basically citizen journalism is exactly what it sounds like; regular people with no journalistic experience or prestige record events and document them. As I mentioned in my previous thread, this is both a good and bad thing. On one hand it lets more information come out, and it keeps everybody in check because anyone could expose a lie. On the other hand it allows misinformation or biased journalism to spread like wildfire. That's why I think it's important that when us regular citizens act as journalists, we understand the basic functions of professional journalism. In today's thread we'll be discussing the elements of journalism.

Elements:

Timeliness:

The first element of journalism is timeliness. Basically this means getting things done on time. Journalists are on a constant schedule with anything that happens that day. Journalists need to make sure they get things done in a timely manner because otherwise people will get the news from somewhere else and it'll make anyone who's late on the story irrelevant. Time is money, and that rule especially applies to journalists.

Proximity:

The next element of journalism is proximity. Location is a big reason as to what makes something a relevant topic. For example, a murder or crime in Japan isn't going to be big news or even covered in America. It's just natural for people to care more about things happening close to them. This is why journalists need to distinguish what's going to be a big deal in the area they're in. Stories that make the front page in New York are going to be a side story in LA. They also lose a lot of detail because they're not as relevant.

Impact:

One of the more obvious elements is impact. This one is pretty self explanatory because obviously the more impactful the story, the more people are going to want to read/watch it, and the more it's going to sell. An impactful story can last for days or even weeks. That means that journalists can choose whether to be timely or accurate without worrying about whether the story will sell. Impact is possibly the most important of all the elements.

Currency:

So similar to timeliness we have currency. Like I said it's similar but not exactly the same. Currency is more of an overtime conflict coverage versus timeliness being more about a single impactful event. For example, timeliness would be covering something like a shooting the same day it happens versus currency which would be covering the avocation for or against gun control after the fact. Being current with the recent developments including politics and such is very important for journalists. You wouldn't want the news to be discussing the election race from years ago would you? Wouldn't really make much sense. That's why being current is important.

Conflict:

So one of the more distasteful elements of journalists is their attraction to conflict. It's necessary though, because without journalism we would miss many conflicts in the world. We, as citizens need to know about conflicts in our countries. That's why journalists seeking conflict is necessary and important.

Emotions:

One of the biggest modern elements of journalism is emotions. It's not exactly a new concept, but it has become larger than ever in recent years. As I mentioned in my last thread, the story type of journalism is making a comeback. Using emotion may be a petty method of selling news, but it works. Appealing to peoples feelings will always work to a certain extent.

Prominence:

The final element of journalism is prominence. Basically this means journalism that's based off of someones expertise and name. Some people follow certain experts and reporters exclusively, almost religiously. This prestige is something that not every journalist can achieve, and it's probably the least important when it comes to citizen journalism.

Questions:

1.) What element of journalism do you think is the most important?

2.) Least important?

3.) Do you think that citizen journalism is less, the same, or more important than professional journalism?