2006-06-07 05:25:39 · 6 answers · asked by nadege p 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Other - Arts & Humanities
A free society needs a free press. Unfortunately most of the "news" programs these days are formatted to be more like entertainment--and everything under the sun is "breaking news". But those who are serious journalists are still out there trying to keep the public informed.
We need to hear the "truth" from all sides and all angles. The first thing a political party will try to control is the press, because if they can do that, they can control the population. A free press can point out the errors and the "lies", inform the public of safety concerns, help us form our own opinions by giving us the "facts."
Can you imagine a "free" press in a Communist country, or in a country run by a dictator? What if the papers in Iraq had been able to print stories about the atrocities committed by Saddam? Would he have lasted so long? Would Iraq have needed help from anyone else to overthrow the barbarian?
If the press hadn't shown what extreme measures the Feds would go to in order NOT to be protested against we might still be fighting in Viet Nam. Do you think that the "powers-that-be" wanted it known that four college students were KILLED at Kent State for simply protesting the war? Do you think that anyone in the Nixon administration wanted it to become public knowledge that they broke into the Watergate to "spy" on their opponents? Do you think Bill wanted everyone to know what was going on under his desk? Do you think Dubya wanted everyone to know there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? No, no, no. But thanks to dedicated journalists (and some mudrakers, sorry to say), we did learnm of these things, and could make informed (Or, at least,a little better informed) choices and decisions.
Do you think anyone in China knows what happened in Tienemen Square?
Journalists shine a bright light into the corners of our society, and thank God for them!
(Sorry about my spelling--spellcheck is on the fritz!!)
2006-06-07 17:14:17 · answer #1 · answered by Joey's Back 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The journalist has a few roles to play in society. Many believe that society functions best when the public is well informed. In a democracy, where the general public is involved in making decisions (such as electing leaders), having an informed public certainly makes sense. Here are the roles for the journalist in that society:
1. to report the news to the rest of society -- to bring important issues to the attention of the public.
2. to investigate more deeply things that the public ought to know. Finding out this information might involve interviewing or piecing information together to tell the whole story.
3. often, this role allows the journalist to act as a check on authority. if a company or government does something wrong, but no one knows about it, they may go unpunished. but if a journalist reports on the wrongdoing, the public can respond and seek justice for the wrongdoing and greater accountability. Journalists have to decide whether their sources are being truthful.
2006-06-07 07:42:37 · answer #2 · answered by jawajames 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They show the everyday person the dark side of the world
2006-06-07 05:29:58 · answer #3 · answered by joe c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they inform us on things that we wouldn't otherwise know which almost always has a strong effect on how we see things throughout the world. in this way, they shape our opinions and thoughts.
I think my beta fish is trying to commit suicide.
2006-06-07 05:33:27 · answer #4 · answered by hobo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they are just interested in being on the top although most of their deeds distroy the society
2006-06-07 05:31:09 · answer #5 · answered by anas b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
how many questions does yahoo allow us to ask...mail me bjpumpindogg@yahoo.com
2006-06-07 05:35:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋