Last week in American Studies, we talked about where we get our information from. As people born in the internet age, most of the class agreed that we received our news from larger markets online through email rather than through newspapers. The problems with this is that these corporations "filter" the news that they give you. If they don't want the reader to see something, they simple don't show it. We also realized that these websites do not go into enough depth to reach certain conclusions.
This discussion got me thinking on the current state of journalism today. As our American society modernizes over time, it appears on the surface that the role of journalists is being reduced by the day. But if you look closer, you will realize that newspaper writers are as important as ever. With the influx of information on the web, the presence of opinionated people and bloggers has increased exponentially. But unlike bloggers and certain online news source writers, who are to give their own biased and original opinion on a subject, journalists have an obligation to their readers to give them the factual information without their own personal spin. With as few journalists today, and as many strong-willed bloggers, journalists must give their readers the information. It is easy to have an online source mislead you into the truth. It is the journalist's responsibility (as well as the corporation's) to continue to write the news.
Sam, I agree that a journalist has an obligation to tell you the truth. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with a journalist adding in their opinion, as long as they make it pretty clear that this is their opinion. I think people are pretty aware that when they read a blog or certain magazines, the things they are reading are mostly opinion based. If someone wants strictly the facts, they should go to a newspaper for the most unbiased information they can get.
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