The news is an important source of knowledge for all of us about the world, especially in this era of technology. Journalists are mainly responsible to bring this news to us but not all of them are true to their responsibilities and ethics. How much can we trust the journalists? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.
News items from various sources are veritable means of information that keeps us abreast with the happenings in and around the globe, and this helps to keep us constantly updated. Media practitioners happen to be at the centre of the dissemination of news items. They, therefore, have an important role to play in determining how much news we get and the quality of the news we get. The question, therefore, arises, to what extent can these media practitioners be relied upon to function with utmost integrity? It is my considered opinion that the average journalist in our contemporary times has what it takes to work in the most credible fashion. My opinion is informed by the following reasons;
Firstly, considering the nature and extent of training received by journalists, they are generally equipped to live above boards. This training is known to confer on them a high sense of professionalism. For instance, the curriculum for the training of journalists in most tertiary institutions like the University of Sheffield in the UK comprises a blend of theoretical and practical aspects of the principles and ethics of the profession. That is why they are meant to undergo some form of industrial attachments in some media houses to give them the necessary orientation and exposure to what to expect in the larger world.
Furthermore, the average practising journalist in the world of today is daily inundated with articles and items that show that they are constantly under public scrutiny. In other words, each time a journalist performs his or her function, he/she is automatically thrown into the court of public scrutiny where his/her work undergoes some form of screening for transparency, fairness and balance in reportage. This makes every journalist conscious of the fact that they need to show a high sense of public accountability in the discharge of their duties. For example, a renowned journalist from one of the suburbs of the Scottish city of Aberdeen was made to openly defend his statement of claim that a well-known singer in the UK fraudulently worked her way to stardom. This was contained in one of his articles which was widely published within and beyond the UK. This attracted widespread criticisms from local and international observers. He was invited to defend his claim before an in-house panel set up by the umbrella body of the media houses in the UK. This and many of such cases serve as a clarion call for all media practitioners to embrace their duties with a high sense of responsibility and professionalism.
In conclusion, my view that Journalists can be trusted to a very large extent in the discharge of their onerous duties in our world of today stems from the fact that they have been equipped with a high standard of training globally as well as being constantly refined by public scrutiny.
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