Any profession has to have control over their standards and expertise in order to maintain them. How can the profession of journalism 'pass on' the necessary requirements in other venues of other countries if it hasn't maintained a standard 'thread' throughout the profession. There is a huge difference between daily news and tabloids, yet they are all lumped together under one umbrella of journalism. I don't consider "Lad Mags" a professional journal, BUT, there is nothing saying they cannot have profound articles and well paid professionals writing investigative journalism to 'bring up' the profession across the board. "Specializing" in entertainment has it's benefit, but, there has to be a way of translating that enjoyment into a serious tone that connects to a profession of excellance within the content of such publications and broadcasts. Professionalism has to be a part of Playgirl and a lead to an enthusiam that brings the readership to the front pages of The New York Times other than once a month. It's a form of outreach to benefit the profession as well as the circulation of magazines. Respect the reader and they will thrive under the professional standards that are enforced through ethics. Quality newsprint in every venue, audio rendition and visual media. A QUALITY that international authorities can recognize and strive to meet.
Ben-Porath, Eran N.
Source:
Journalism Studies; Aug2007, Vol. 8 Issue 3, p414-431, 18p
Unlike the edited news package, which dominates network and local news in America, the cable news channels recount the day's news predominantly through conversation, a format dubbed here dialogical news. At the center of this article is the concept of internal fragmentation, a consequence of the turn to conversation-based reporting, and its central implications: (1) the authority of the news reporter diminishes; (2) question-asking replaces fact-checking; (3) news organizations relinquish their accountability for news content; and (4) the news audience assumes the role of witness or participant rather than receiver. As dialogical news becomes prominent in the repertoire of viewers, short- and long-term prospects are suggested here. In the short-run, journalists are losing their battle to control their sources and maintain their gatekeeping function. In the long run, journalism might lose its significance as society's reflexive storyteller, reverting instead to its former role as a partisan instrument, a source of entertainment or a bit of both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
