What is the roll of journalist with respect to democracy?

Question

If people can find information for themselves on the web and more and more information is becoming easier to access, what is the roll of a journalist?

REVISION:
What is the roll of a journalist with respect to democracy in the context of the internet?

Answer 1

The journalist must be responsible even when there is freedom of the press because the people might get misinformed or incited to rebellion against the government.

Answer 2

The media in general is thought of as the the "fourth" branch of government. Therefore, journalists are supposed to check & balance the executive, legislative, and executive branches. They do this by telling the stories associated with the development and delivery of public policy. In other words, journalists can not accept the staus quo from the other branches of government. They must question everything. They should be the ultimate skeptics. Every outlet has its slant - afterall newspapers endorse candidates based on their political leanings. However, I think it's idiotic for journalists to promote a party's agenda when they should be questioning every agenda item. For example, the conservative press should ask why this republican president is so fiscally liberal -- he's a big spender -- this tact is anathema to conservative doctrine. By the same token the liberal press should have been asking Billy C. why he was so hot to sign the welfare reform bill as a social liberal. Where are all the journalists asking tough, annoying, probing, in-your-face questions?

Answer 3

Journalists should be impartial discoverers and reporters of information.

Sadly - they are not. Power without corresponding responsibility corrupts and we have a powerful news media that has no accountability.

The news media biases the news to 1) sensationalize it and 2) suit their political agendas.

What you have to do is use different news sources based on what type of information you are looking for. For any subject some will be more objective than others. (For example: as most of us who have been in Iraq can say - Fox news is the closest to providing an accurate picture of the war.)

What you have to do is develop sources where you can check on the accuracy of reporting. Otherwise you are a victim of what the media thinks will give them the highest ratings.

Answer 4

fascism and journalism really don't mix too well. These days it's alot about ratings within mainstream journalism. They will flip flop political parties to make those bucks. The role of a journalist is what is keeping this country on it's toes about leaving Iraq. If it weren't for Journalists Iraq would be leveled from bombings by now. They pretty much are the police of politics. They commit a crime and the journalists puts it up to the people to rule what they wish.... Like I said though.. Journalists are pretty flip flop now. One day they support and the next they are bitter. Wheres the cash?

Answer 5

The role of journalists with respect to democracy is to be fair and give a balanced and impartial report of events and facts without taking sides!

Too often we hear and read "impartial" reporting that is anything but impartial (Fox News) where they will say, for example, that the cowardly so-and-so accused of whatever... much like they did to the security guard who was first accused of being involved in the bombing in Atlanta during the Olympic Games... or they will editorialize events with emotional out pour to sway opinion... that is neither fair or impartial, and too often taking sides in elections and with political parties and candidates with whom the reporter or the editor in charge of the rag is friendly with... and that's fair and impartial? They sometimes go after some politician or elected official that falls out of favor... not because of corruption... but maybe because they (the reporter and newspaper) feels slighted in some minor way... Too bad they're no longer held accountable for their words and are allowed far too much leeway in all they write and print or say via the broadcasts...!

Too often, advertisers threaten to withdraw their sponsorship if certain news items are reported in an unfavorable manner... can you believe that one? Money being the main concern of some stations, news items are sometimes suppressed or worded in a slanted manner or facts omitted or altered to please advertisers... only in America!

Yes, Fox news used little flags but some of their comments on the air were grossly inflammatory and THAT is why the other news agencies got on their case!

Very few reporters today are fair and impartial in their reporting and they do nothing more than distribute gossip or misinformation, much like demagogues and gossip-mongers that incite hostility under the guise of freedom of speech and expression... that SHOULD be RESPONSIBLE but too often blatantly AIN'T... and it's an abuse and gross misuse of the freedom of the press.

Answer 6

They have become irrelevant. There are better opinions found here than in the newspapers. Because of the tight pressures to come up a story everyday, newspapers always carry corrections/erratum of their previous news reports. Do we tolerate erroneous facts being fed to us. We have right to information but not disinformation.

Answer 7

The journalists on Fox News are hated in this country, and around the world.....
Because they wore little American Flags on their lapels for weeks after 9/11 occurred.
CNN and the other News Media blasted and bashed Fox News for being Pro-American.
(That tells us all we need to know about journalists.)

Answer 8

Their role is to investigate, to get behind the scenes. In doing so, they should develop a sense of what really went on and whose information to trust. Human fallibility makes it impossible to be unbiased; they are given too many facts and have to pick and choose what they think is relevant. Those who think the media should be objective robots are insincere; these whining phonies actually disagree with the truth or want it to be presented according to their own biases.

Answer 9

These are all for AAj Tak. Intazaar keejiye kal tak.

Answer 10

There is not one fair and impartial media outlet in America.