Journalism: a democratic necessity
What is the current reality of journalism?
Journalism is one of the oldest ongoing professions in the world. There are some who believe that journalism has only come into its own in the past 100 years, but news has been a function of democracy for almost as long as democracy has existed.
The earliest known evidence of journalism is the Acta Diurna, a news sheet in ancient Rome from before 59 AD. It recounted events and was published daily and put up in places where as many people as possible would be able to read it.
See, the purpose of journalism is to spread knowledge to all, to share as much information as the public needs to know and that can be found out and verified. Journalism reports what people wouldn’t already know, things outside the norm and ordinary. Sometimes this information is depressing, sometimes it’s exciting. Sometimes the information is even frustrating or the first shout of rage in a silent auditorium.
Early on, journalism and journalists were heavily censored by governments and the ruling class. This changed, following appeals to governments and persuasive essays made by various men, after which the freedoms of the press and of expression were eventually legitimized into law around the world.
However, censorship is an ongoing process and does not only apply to journalism, it applies to stories, novels, music, and institutions which host these mediums. Censorship can apply to public posts made on social media or sentiments expressed in public, by anyone.
There is also such a thing as self-censorship, avoiding bringing to light information out of fear of backlash, hurting future opportunities, or bringing about the possibility of bodily or psychological harm to one’s person.
Something which falls under the umbrella of censorship, self or otherwise, includes expressing support for Palestine and Palestinians and being against genocide, apparently.
As time has gone on and with advancements in technology, there has been a change in how news is spread on a mass scale. Initially, there was the printing press, then in the 1920s there came to be radio. The 1950s saw the beginnings of televised news, which was followed in the 1990s and 2000s by online news.
Over time, both freedom of expression and freedom of the press have seen challenges in the court of law and the court of public opinion. Following the invention of the internet, however, these challenges have compounded.
People are too used to having everything they want at their fingertips. With all the different apps, mobile games, and social media, there is no time or reason for the average person to read the news on their trip to work, while eating, or when they’re bored. I’m not trying to say that the internet is bad; I’m trying to say that knowing what is going on in the world is important.
Knowing whether you are going to be targeted for something is important. Knowing whether companies are massively polluting the earth you live on is important. Knowing when organizations are spreading misinformation, disinformation, or propaganda is important. Knowing whether groups are selling your information is important. Knowing when the government is pushing something into law that will impact you is important.
To further expand on what the point of journalism is, take into consideration what it means when journalism is discredited by those in power or who look to gain it. Journalism – investigative journalism and other actual journalism that is not a stringing together of unverified ideas – uses truth and evidence to inform the public of what is going on in the world around them and behind closed doors.
If someone is saying or doing things behind closed doors that would hurt their reputation if exposed to the public, they will likely be against journalism. To people in power who are abusing their power, journalism is a threat; to them, their power, and – in some cases – the loyalty of their followers. It is journalism’s role in democracy to let people know what those in power are saying or doing and let the public form their own opinions.
This does not mean that journalism is why their reputation is hurt, it means what they said or did is why their reputation is hurt. Good journalists will not tell the public how to feel about things, but they will give as much information as they can so the public can come to their own conclusions and look more deeply into things themselves.
Solutions journalism gives ideas on how to improve situations, but nothing says these are the only solutions or even the ones that should be used. They are only ideas.
This is the function of journalism, to let those who pay attention to the news know what is going on in the world. Unfortunately, because of greed and changes in the public – being unable to tell what is trustworthy or unwilling to use the resources that are out there – it is becoming more difficult for journalism to fulfill its purpose. As a result, the public is losing the ability to gain the knowledge necessary to fully participate in a democracy.
Not only this, but advertising has historically been the way news organizations make money. In recent years, advertising has moved from being only available in the paper or the airwaves to being available online. As the internet is large and receives more traffic than any one news organization, many advertisers are choosing to go through the internet instead of news specifically. This means news organizations are losing money to online websites.
Our government introduced a law, Bill C-18, which would mean these websites would enter negotiations with news organizations to give some of that money to them to protect the organization from running out of money to fund this necessary part of democracy.
This is where greed comes in. Meta (formerly Facebook, and owner of Facebook and Instagram) has blocked all Canadian news organizations from promoting their websites and articles on their platforms, including when shared by readers. This is cutting already low readership even more, just so they don’t have to pay any money to news organizations. This reaction is not the Canadian government’s fault but has impacted many organizations.
If journalism is to continue, there needs to be change. Whether this change comes in the form of increased readership, intentional changes from those seeking to advertise, or something else entirely is anyone’s guess.
Journalism is essential to democracy but losing steam. So, if you’re reading this, I implore you to pat yourself on the back and continue learning about the news as you continue your life. Show your friends and family the importance of journalism as well.
Also, reach out to us! The news is where your voice can be heard, and that’s why we release pitch lists a week before we print our paper. If you have anything you want to say about the articles we print, there’s a place for that here too.
