Today's Journalist reports the news; tomorrow's will explain it.
Newspapers can't be first with news as television and radio are, and they must offer their readers something diffrent. Happenings must be explained so that results are understandable to the reader. The story of what caused the news must be told.
Newspapers can't be first with news as television and radio are, and they must offer their readers something diffrent. Happenings must be explained so that results are understandable to the reader. The story of what caused the news must be told.
Many newspapers are already preparing to meet this need. Today's front page explain news as musch as they report it. During the week-ends newspapers are filled with stories of such thinks as politics and world problems. Reporting the news is not enough in today's fast-moving world. it is not enough for a newspaper reader to know what happened. He must also know why it happened and what it will do to his country, his city and himself. This is also true of TV and radio, which are suplying special "behind the scenes stories"
For many years newspapers and wire services were only expected to report facts. The reader must do his own explaining. But most readers did not know enough what was happening behind the news to be able to explain or understand it. That i s why news magazines such as Vision, in latin America, and others around the world were started. they did the job which most newspapers were not then doing - going behind the news to explain why it happened.
Explaining the news is not giving an opinion. A newspaper's opinions or ideas should be given only on the editorial page. Explaining the news is telling as much as possible about a happening to let the reader know what caused it. Readers should know about the downfall of a goverment in latin america, but should also understand what caused that downfall. Saying only that a government of a South American country fell is enough. It would be better to make readers understand the real problems which are the seeds of trouble.
A special kind of man or woman will be needed to explain the news. He must be the kind or person who never believes that his education is completed. he must be have a mind that is always seeking answers to questions. He must look at all sides of a problem and never print anything he does not understand. This kind of person should be a good writer who can tell a story clearly. He sholud also realize that he has a duty to his readers.
James Reston, chief of the Washington office of the New York Times, says that the reporter's first duty is not to the owner of his nespaper, or to his editor, or to his government or to those who gave him news. His first duty is to the people, and if hi gives it to any of the others, he is not a really good writer.
Tomorrow's journalist must be a man of ideas. He must be able to know and find what will make news stories, and not only wait for them to happen. Because they can do so quickly, radio and TV are usually the first to report the news. Perhaps you have already herad tomorrow morning's headline on this evening's radio news. daily newspapers must, therefore, report something further which is not covered by TV and radio.
Perhaps they can explain problems, such as showing the need for better health care for sick minds. It will be the reporter's job to find new ideas for old problems,
It is not necessary for ideas for stories tto be only about the bad things people do. A San Francisco newsman had the idea of joining a group of strangers who were visiting the city and reporting what they thought of the town. he New York Daily News printed some stories about what young people were thingking. Ideas should come from all the things which are around us every day. Several newspapers pay money for ideas that lead to stories no reporter has thought of writing before.
Newspapers will be looking for men who, day after day, will not lose interest in seeking facts, men who will want to work to help the public.
When he was a reporter for a California newspaper, Pierre Salinger (who later became President Kennedy's officer) wanted to tell the readers about the bad conditions in California prisons. To do this, he acted against one of the less important laws so they would put him in prison. He was there for several days. After he left, he prepared stories for his newspaper about the thins in the prison that should be changed.
Woody Klein, another young reporter for a New York newspaper, want to live in one of the poor parts of the city so he could write stories about the conditions there. He later put his experiences in a book.
Mr. Klein explains that the purpose of such assignments is to find and report news which has not been made known before, and which sometimes is even being kept away from people. The purpose of this kind of journalism is to bring changes and to make better what is wrong. when a newsman makes wrongdoings known, he feels more pleasure than he would if he had received more pay. If he loves heman beings, he knows that he is fighting for people who can't fight for themselves-people who do not have the tme or the know-how to be sure that their government leaders are doing what they should. Your country is a better place because of what reporters and newsmen have found and told people was wrong.
The writer who can explain the news, teh man with ideas, the reporter who knows how to look for facts-these are persons who will be most wanted in newspapers. In a quickly changing world, old methods will not be enough. Some newspapers are sendng their reporters to college again for advanced studies which will help in their journalism work. Journalism is also changing.
Bad writers and those who only play at journalism will not be successful. Unless you can offer a newspaper something more than eight hours a day of your time, you will find that you have no place in juornalism.
There is nothing as important to a democracy as a free press. Only people who know all the facts are able to make good judgements. The press in the market place for ideas, and with a free press, people can choose, because they can read and hear all sides of a story.
Newspapers also serve people by printing who was born, who was married and who died. This news interests readers very much. No doubt, your family and friends of the family were pleased to read in the newspaper that you were born. and they will also be pleased when they read you have been married or perhaps reveived honors in college.
The newspaper tell us what is happening in our city goverment, who the police put in prison last night and the plans for a new health center in town. We discover what is happening in the schools and churches, and even the theater, the movies and television. If we like ball games we can read about them. we know what people want to buy and sell by reading special parts of the paper: buyer and seller meet through the newspaper.
Almost everything that touches the reader's life is in a newspaper. People talk about the news and think about it. There are many pesons who do not like to start the day without first reading the newspaper. Even the weather report is necessary to help many people in their businesses. The newspaper belongs in the every day life of millions of persons.
As a journalist, you will have a good view of history being made, and an honored place among people.
President Lyndon B. Johnson told a group of young American journalists that when a press is free, democracy will be free. He said that no profession is more important than journalism, and no work more valuable than which guards the truth.
If the thought of being a reporter is exciting to you, if you put service above money, if you know how to find facts and write them well, if you want perfection instead of something which is only acceptable-then you should become a journalist. There is an important future for you
Posted by Anthon Simbolon
Woody Klein, another young reporter for a New York newspaper, want to live in one of the poor parts of the city so he could write stories about the conditions there. He later put his experiences in a book.
Mr. Klein explains that the purpose of such assignments is to find and report news which has not been made known before, and which sometimes is even being kept away from people. The purpose of this kind of journalism is to bring changes and to make better what is wrong. when a newsman makes wrongdoings known, he feels more pleasure than he would if he had received more pay. If he loves heman beings, he knows that he is fighting for people who can't fight for themselves-people who do not have the tme or the know-how to be sure that their government leaders are doing what they should. Your country is a better place because of what reporters and newsmen have found and told people was wrong.
The writer who can explain the news, teh man with ideas, the reporter who knows how to look for facts-these are persons who will be most wanted in newspapers. In a quickly changing world, old methods will not be enough. Some newspapers are sendng their reporters to college again for advanced studies which will help in their journalism work. Journalism is also changing.
Bad writers and those who only play at journalism will not be successful. Unless you can offer a newspaper something more than eight hours a day of your time, you will find that you have no place in juornalism.
There is nothing as important to a democracy as a free press. Only people who know all the facts are able to make good judgements. The press in the market place for ideas, and with a free press, people can choose, because they can read and hear all sides of a story.
Newspapers also serve people by printing who was born, who was married and who died. This news interests readers very much. No doubt, your family and friends of the family were pleased to read in the newspaper that you were born. and they will also be pleased when they read you have been married or perhaps reveived honors in college.
The newspaper tell us what is happening in our city goverment, who the police put in prison last night and the plans for a new health center in town. We discover what is happening in the schools and churches, and even the theater, the movies and television. If we like ball games we can read about them. we know what people want to buy and sell by reading special parts of the paper: buyer and seller meet through the newspaper.
Almost everything that touches the reader's life is in a newspaper. People talk about the news and think about it. There are many pesons who do not like to start the day without first reading the newspaper. Even the weather report is necessary to help many people in their businesses. The newspaper belongs in the every day life of millions of persons.
As a journalist, you will have a good view of history being made, and an honored place among people.
President Lyndon B. Johnson told a group of young American journalists that when a press is free, democracy will be free. He said that no profession is more important than journalism, and no work more valuable than which guards the truth.
If the thought of being a reporter is exciting to you, if you put service above money, if you know how to find facts and write them well, if you want perfection instead of something which is only acceptable-then you should become a journalist. There is an important future for you
Posted by Anthon Simbolon
