- What are the three most important core values you think journalists must have in today’s world? Why?
In today’s world, journalism is a fast paced and forever changing environment. Everything is so mobile, easily accessible and stories are told across so many more platforms than they once were. I believe that three of the most important values, which a journalist should possess are integrity, accuracy and respect. Integrity is important when telling stories because with this as a core value, a journalist is unbiased and presents the story as it is and with good intentions. I think sometimes it is easy to lose track of why you are a journalist. It isn’t so you can make your opinions public and have your say on an issue, it is so you can educate people on important issues or events and offer them information that they normally would not easily access. When telling stories of such importance and depth, it is important to be accurate and only present the facts so that everyone else can read it and be able to decide their individual opinion on their own, without being swayed by anyones opinion or untruths. I also believe that respect is an important quality to have when it comes to determining whether or not certain topics need to be reported or not. You need to be able to find a balance between; how important it is that the public are aware of the topic and also, if the results of reporting on it are going to outweigh the amount of hurt it is going to produce to anyone involved.
2. How can those values be useful in approaching digital tools we have today to produce good journalism?
In terms of approaching digital tools, all these values will be of benefit to a journalist using the tools of today. Integrity; everything that is published, posted or made available online will be honest. Accuracy; only facts will be presented and everything shared or posted or produced will be backed up by evidence so that once it’s on the internet forever there is no way it can come back to bite you ever. Respect; for the same reason as the others, respect is a very important value to have when dealing with digital tools because the digital world is a very easily accessible one and it is also very widespread so you need to be able to know what information is respectful to work with or not.
3. Can you find at least one example of good online journalism that reflects these values? Make sure you provide a link to the example/s.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/07/mosul-ruins-despair-170718085108489.html
This feature embodies all three qualities, which i mentioned earlier. I do believe that, you don’t really know your strengths and weaknesses in your journalistic writing until you have tackled the ethics behind writing about trauma. Francesca Mannocchi has written this piece really beautifully, whilst maintaining her respect for those witnesses whom she interviewed. Her writing is honest, told as she saw it in the flesh and backed up by strong photographic evidence and interviews/statements. Her dates, statistics and names are accurate. I think the most evident quality here which Francesca possesses in her writing is respect. For example, when she speaks of the tragic pain and experiences of the women and children who were locked in basements, she only tells a little bit of their experience, however most of what they went through is quoted and said by the victims themselves, which means that Francesca mostly told the parts of the story that the victims obviously wanted to be told. She is also respectful in that she gives justice to what the people of Mosul are going through by telling so much of it and sharing their stories with such depth and tragic beauty. I think the most redeeming quality in this feature is that you don’t hear Francesca’s voice in it. It is written well in the way that her opinion or voice does not shine through and her sole focus is telling the story of what occurred in Mosul and the stories of the people who were affected, without also making any statements or comments on the situation.
