John C. Merrill

Professionalization: Danger to press freedom and pluralism

Journalism is viewed here as being in danger of becoming a profession, thereby changing the field into a narrow, monolithic, self‐centered fellowship of true believers devoid of outward‐looking and service orientations.

Is Ethical Journalism Simply Objective Reporting

Conventional wisdom among journalists is that objectivity in reporting is paramount and that the newsperson who is objective has fulfilled the highest and most responsible expectation possible. Often such wisdom is expressed in ways not directly impinging on ethics, but increasingly one hears, in one form or another, that objective journalism is ethical journalism. One study in 1984 has maintained that, indeed, a majority of newspapers surveyed equated journalistic ethics with “objective” news coverage.’ This is a fascinating finding. In other words, what we are hearing is that if a journalist is objective in reporting, the demands for ethical behavior have been satisfied. The assumption: Objective reporting is ethical reporting. The acceptance of this assumption would, of course, mean that a journalist who was objective-or tried diligently to be objective-could forget about additional ethical decisions per sp; for the journalist would have already entered the ethical field simply by applying technique. In short, the journalist accepting objective reporting-is-ethics as a valid concept would have to concentrate on the technique of being objective, thereby satisfying any journalistic ethical demands which might be placed upon him. This concentration on technique would mean that in journalism educational programs there would be no need for separate courses in journalistic ethics. Why? Because courses in newswriting, reporting, newsgathering techniques and the like,

Power — The key to press freedom: A four‐tiered social model

Raw (pragmatic) and potential (theoretical) power is seen as the key to press freedom in various global settings. Because the locus of power determines the locus of freedom, the authors suggest a model to understand where the raw and potential power resides within a matrix consisting of the State, the Media Elite, the Journalists, or the People. Numerous questions concerning accountability and ethics are raised concerning the practical application of a model that purports to overcome cultural biases inherent in traditional theories of press and society.

News Medium, News, Objectivity — Ontological Questions in Journalism

Often the most obvious questions concerning the nature of journalism are ignored: the metaphysical “why” is seldom investigated. One such question concerns the news media: is a medium which is not solely concerned with news, a news medium? What is the purpose of these media? Why is news as such important? The function of news in society e.g. as a source of information is discussed. The negative side of news is also afforded attention. News not only transforms society, but society, on the other hand, determines what the daily news should be. The individual should also decide what news entails. News is always subordinate to the interpretation of the individual. The truth will always be screened by a measure of subjectivity, even if objectivity is the specific intention. This intention is a subjective decision. True reality can never be equalled by even a comprehensive news report. Journalism and news reportage will always remain a creation of man, designed to suit the interpretation and the needs of the jou...

Basic Books on Mass Media

RESHAPING THE MEDIA: MASS COMMUNICATION IN AN INFORMATION AGE by Everette E. Dennis (Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1989—

The New World Information debate: three compelling needs

35.00/16.95, ISBN 0-8039-3660-5 hard, 0-8039-3661-3 paper, 205 pp.) MACROMEDIA: MISSION, MESSAGE AND MORALITY by Ralph L. Lowenstein and John C. Merrill (White Plains, NY: Longman, 1990—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-8013-0471-7, 309 pp.) MEDIA USA: PROCESS AND EFFECT edited by Arthur Asa Berger (White Plains, NY: Longman, 1991—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-8013-0452-0, 461 pp.) THE MEDIA READER edited by Manuel Alvarado and John 0. Thompson (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990-

Medios de comunicación social: teoría y práctica en Estados Unidos y en el mundo

45.00/19.95, ISBN 0-85170-258-9 hard, 0-85170-259-7 paper, 360 pp.; published in London by British Film Institute) MEDIA ETHICS: CASES & MORAL REASONING by Clifford G. Christians, Kim B. Rotzoll, and Mark Fackler (White Plains, NY: Longman, 1991—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-8013-0650-7, 445 pp.) COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE: LANGUAGE, PERFORMANCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND MEDIA edited by Sari Thomas and William A. Evan...

Inclination of Nations to Control Press and Attitudes on Professionalization.

Three compelling needs concerning the international forum are discussed: the need for international semantic sophisticationthe need for Third World self-assurance andthe need for more research and less empty rhetoric As far as the semantic aspect is concerned, there is no doubt that anti-Western forces in the world communications arena are winning the struggle against the West, and are enticing so-called “non-aligned” people into their ideological camp. By means of a process of “ semantic infiltration”, words like “imperialism” become valuable items of armoury in the hands of e.g. UNESCO and Third World countries. The Third World should stop blaming the West for all that goes wrong concerning its affairs, and develop a definite self-assurance. Developing nations 1 accusations of the Wests “communicative imperialism” are not very sound, as these countries should carry the blame for their own sub-standard journalism as unused free-flow of qualitative information to these countries does exist. More time sho...