- What are the three most important core values you think journalists must have in today’s world? Why?
To keep updated across all platforms in a constantly changing media landscape, a journalist must consciously consider what issues remain at the forefront of the nation’s agenda, and the best way to convey those for public news consumption. When ‘fake news’ is a predominant catch-cry by a world leader, accuracy is perhaps the most important core value in persisting to objectively reveal the truth and aiming to deflect institutionalised misconceptions. While this fact-checking reigns supreme, empathy is also an underlying value that should come as second nature where there is a risk of individual affliction or denunciation – being fair, sympathetic and conscious of character portrayal can be somewhat neglected when faced with the chaos of multiple deadlines, but defamation poses an unwelcome and overwhelming threat to future publication that cannot be overlooked in the moment. Thirdly, any practising journalist should be committed to recognising time-sensitive/current issues for an extensive audience, and in turn what will amplify the intellectual progression of society.
- How can those values be useful in approaching digital tools we have today to produce good journalism?
In the instance of considering the snowball effect of social media, in that each post buries rather than resurrects important information, ascertaining the core of an issue or the truth can feel like a needle in a haystack – and this in turn can hinder the pursuit of accuracy. However, approaching the websites dedicated to fact-checking, as conducted by The Conversation and a partnership between RMIT and the ABC, allows for an expedient path through misconstrued fallacies to engender a well-informed interpretation of the political and social landscape.
As for empathy, I believe good journalism remains in the moral compass of the journalist in deciding whether or not digital tools may be utilised for further investigation, or if they may further exploit the subject should their story be controversial or of a deeply personal matter. Of course, audio tools such as podcasting may be a suitable avenue in documenting an interview on a one-off occasion without further communication, and transmedia articles can provide a visually-engaging narrative that distinctly evokes an emotional tether to the story for both author and reader.
The internet allows journalists to be sufficiently adapted for international communication by providing an enduring, efficient platform to receive and export stories in a limited amount of time. Once again, transmedia articles are conveniently created, yet still contain all the required information of a longer written piece in an easily-consumable visual format. This affirms a more focused and intrigued academic readership, as well as a simple yet educational conveyance of information to readers with lower abilities of reading and comprehension.
An empathetic multimedia piece on living with Alzheimers.
Featured photo by Nick Youngson is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
