Challenges Facing Journalists

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you."

Journalists face many challenges, like in the joke above, because of their profession.  Whether it is lack of trust from the community or an increasing rate of unemployed journalists, there are many challenges that they must face to be successful. 

In the books "The Elements of Journalism" and "The Mind of a Journalist" there is a discussion about the various challenges that have arisen in recent years.  One main challenge is the belief from citizens that journalism should entertain the readers, rather than inform them. 
It is difficult for a journalist to to keep reader's attention because there are so many outlets and so many different kinds of readers.  They each have their own interests and concerns in relation to the world. 

Should a journalist write about the most important things like war, taxes, and economy, or should they write about entertaining things like celebrities, talking birds, and school plays?  Is the role of journalism to inform or entertain?

Here is the solution.  Do not choose to be either significant or engaging; choose to be both.  Discuss important issues, but use storytelling techniques in writing to engage the reader.  Use real experiences to create a sense of belonging, things like that. 

Also, do not try to aim at one specific audience.  By aiming to appeal to one audience hundreds of other people are left out.  A journalists seriously limits the impact and importance of a piece by trying to entertain only one demographic.  Write stories that effect an entire community and that impact all demographics.  Journalists are much more likely to be successful by including everyone.

Another challenge facing journalists is the increased unemployment rate.  Many companies, like newspapers, are firing many journalists because the need is no longer as high.  People turn to other sources for news and as a result, journalists are not as prevalent as in the past. 

Unfortunately there may not be a perfect solution to this problem.  This is a result of a change in society.  The best solution for a journalist is to make oneself valuable to a company.  Write stories that impact people and effect an entire community.  Prove the value of the job to the company.  Another solution would be to turn to the internet.  The need for journalists on the internet is growing because people turn to the internet for information more than newspapers.  Be willing to transition to new technology for a greater chance of success. 

The last challenge facing journalists that I would like to discuss is the pressure from editors, corporations, and marketing agencies to discuss what they believe is most important -- whether that is entertainment or advertising -- and to ignore the responsibility of being an information provider.

To the journalists experiencing this struggle there is a possible solution.  Listen to your conscience and ethical beliefs.  If something seems unethical, stand up for the truth and do not write the article.  Leave the corporation if necessary.  Oftentimes journalists are given more credit for standing up to what is unethical instead of writing the story. 

The key is to do what seems correct based on the individuals own ethics. 

Celebrating 400 Years

Today I was able to visit the Special Collections exhibit about the King James Bible at Brigham Young University.  This year marks the 400th anniversary of the first printing of the King James Bible, and let me tell you -- it wasn't easy for the KJV to get here.  But regardless of the difficulty, the KJV has impacted the religious and secular cultures of the English-speaking world forever. 

 The exhibit documents the life and creation of the King James Bible, as well as the history of the many various bibles before the KJV was created.  I was able to see editions of the real Vulgate Bible, Wycliffite Bible, Tyndale's Bible, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible.  The books were remarkably preserved and had beautiful detail.  It was incredible to see the Latin, Old English, and Middle English language written so beautifully. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of the exhibit is the history of translating the Bible from Latin in to the vernacular.  Originally, the Bible was written only in the Latin language, in what is called the Vulgate Bible.  Only the highly educated (priests) could read it because it was not in the vernacular, which was English.  As a result of the teachings of John Wycliffe, there was a strong movement toward the Bible being printed in the vernacular.  He believed it was important for the word of God to be in the homes of every person and to be a part of normal life and government. 

Thanks to the sacrifice of reforms like Wycliffe, Tyndale, and many others, the Bible was eventually translated in to English and illegally distributed. 

But many versions of the Bible were created, and controversy over which Bible to use lasted for centuries.  Eventually, King James I decided to create a new translation from the original text.  He wanted to most correct English words to be used in the translation.  It took decades for the KJV to catch on because many people were attached to the Geneva and Bishop's Bibles. 

Now, the KJV is one of the most popular Bibles in circulation.  It is said to be "the most correct" of the many Bible translations and is used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It has become one of the most influential books in the world.  The pamphlet from the exhibit says, "the King James Bible has influenced music, politics, literature, and the English language itself. . . it was at the forefront of religious worship, private devotion, and personal or classroom reading." 

The King James Bible exhibit will be open through Spring 2012, and I highly recommend visiting.  The history and beauty of the Bible is incredible, and those of all religions can benefit from visiting the exhibit and witnessing history.