Friday, February 5, 2010

Journalists: Who are they, and what do they do?

A journalist is more than just someone with a pencil behind their ear and a notebook to scribble down random information. It is his or her job to get the facts, and in turn make society aware of what is happening around them by doing a report on whatever it is he or she has found.

In essence, a journalist is in charge of finding out why things happen, as well as the other components of a news story. Who is involved, what happened, where is the story taking place, when it happened, and how?

Journalists also have to ensure their stories are relevant to the area they are reporting for, not to mention captivating enough to hold the attention of the readers of the local paper or viewers of the local television broadcast.

Because journalists are required to go so far in depth when researching the facts for a story, people count on them to keep them up-to-date on anything and everything that is occurring in their areas. Since it is part of their job code, journalists must be truthful, as well as deliver a fair and balanced viewpoint to ensure no controversial story is one-sided. As a viewer or a reader, the people want to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and journalists are the people who will bring that forward to them.

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