For homework, we were assigned to read Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel’s short introduction about the essentials of journalism. They explain that even the very first tribal societies in Africa—start of humankind—had a thirst for “news.” People gossiped with each other and wanted to deliver their news. According to historian Mitchell Stephens, the basic definition of news has been the same throughout history and across cultures.
Kovach and Rosenstiel write that “when the flow of news is obstructed, ‘a darkness falls,’ and anxiety grows.” This means that people are constantly looking to be informed about others. Without such flow of information, there is silence; darkness.
For awareness in life, we protect ourselves, bond with each other, and identify enemies. Journalism is very important because it helps us do all these things. The two authors also say that we should care about journalism because it “influences the quality of our lives, our thoughts, and our culture.” Journalism records history of a society, how people lived, and what their culture was about. In order to have a truthful account of history, journalists must be honest in their reporting. Richard Just’s definition of journalism now makes sense. “To tell the truth about the world.” It puts it all in perspective, doesn’t it?
Talha Naeem sits on an arm-rest chair while waiting for his ride home.
On Wednesday, June 27th, in class we studied some ethical problems that a student journalist might face. Some common ethical problems student media face are:
Conflict of interest – Conflict of interest is when a journalists interview people they are close to or have some relationship with, such as family and friends. This is wrong. Journalists should not interview those people because then they may be required to favor them in the article they are writing. It is also a conflict of interest if a journalist interviews someone who has wronged him previously because then the journalist might try to negatively portray him or her in the article.
Plagiarism – Plagiarism means the student journalists give priority to others’ work or take credit of other people’s material, work, or ideas. Plagiarism is wrong because stealing others’ work is not tolerated in society. Journalists should be careful when they obtain information or do research from scholarly journals, books, other newspapers, and especially the Internet.
Anonymous sources – Anonymous source means not identifying the source from which the journalist got information. Typically, we should not use anonymous sources because we should always tell people how we obtained our information. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to use anonymous sources because revealing the source could mean harm or danger for that person. For example, a government official who reveals important information could be at risk of losing his job if his name is printed. A rape victim’s identity should also be protected because she may be at risk of becoming socially abandoned or belittled.
Offending or distasteful content – Journalists should not knowingly report to offend someone. Although it is impossible to please all the readers, a journalist should not publish something about someone with purposeful malicious intent. All reporting should be fair and balanced.
Invasion of privacy – Journalists should not publish information which they obtain from illegal or wrong ways. Someone’s privacy should not be invaded when looking for information.
Bias – Bias means imbalanced coverage. Journalists should not give their own point of view when reporting news. News articles do not have place for a journalist’s opinion. A good journalist is not concerned with anyone’s feelings and therefore should not try to please his readers.
Commitment to accuracy – Journalists should confirm and double-check their information before publishing anything. They should not be hasty with their reporting.
On July 5th, we read the introduction of journalists Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel’s book titled The Elements Of Journalism. In their introduction, they state that journalism is very important because it informs us the truth about incidents occurring in the world. Whenever people listen to news from other sources, they simply listen to it. They do not think about how it was presented to them, what really happened, and why an event occurred. Kovach and Rosenstiel say that it is important to always question the information presented to us.
Their book began on a rainy Saturday in 1997, when journalists from all over the world gathered around one table to discuss how their profession is disappearing from the world of communication. Kovach and Rosenstiel quote U.S Senator John McCain when he was a prisoner in war in Hanoi. McCain had written that he did not miss comfort, food, freedom, or even his family and friends. “The thing I missed most was information – free uncensored, undistorted, abundant information,” wrote McCain. This shows the paramount importance of quenching our thirst for awareness; news.
Before joining this program, I had no idea what journalism was. Now, I think I better understanding the profession – and it is because Ms. Mariya teaches us so wonderfully. Kovach and Rosenstiel had presented a broader view of journalism, the difficulties faced and yet to be faced by journalists, mysteries and findings from their research and survey. I think journalism is the first way to get attached to the world. We rely on journalism to get detailed knowledge about what is happening in the world, what the rulers of our country are doing, and what new inventions and technologies are coming out. We get our information from television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. I must say: although being a journalist is very tough, it is a thrill to obtain news from all over the world without leaving home.
Before taking journalism classes with Ms. Mariya, we did not know what journalism was and why it is important. But after taking just two classes, we are now better familiar with the art of telling the truth. On the first day of class, we learned that journalism is “telling the truth about the world.” This definition is by Richard Just, the executive editor of The New Republic. Journalism is very important in our society, and especially in those countries where democracy does not function properly, such as Pakistan. Journalism is essential because it provides access to information and allows people to know the truth. It also influences people’s thoughts and way of thinking.
Journalists Tom Rosenstiel and Bill Kovach said in their book, “The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing.” This is especially important in a democratic society, said Ms. Mariya, in which people have the right to be free-willed individuals. Pakistan claims to be a ‘democratic’ society, but in reality, its functionality needs a lot of work. As a Pakistani girl, I am disappointed in the amount of corruption in our government. I want to do something about this problem, which is why I have decided to participate in Ms. Mariya’s journalism program. I hope to tell my story. And I hope to tell it truthfully.
We are excited for an opportunity to be young journalists at our own school, the Al-Imtiaz Academy. Journalism will help us investigate the role of a free press in a democratic society while giving us a chance to voice our opinions about our school community. Having this voice and the ability to share our opinions will make us better citizens of this beautiful nation. We are all very excited and looking forward to the classes ahead! I thank Ms. Mariya in advance for all her hard work and time she is investing in us. Thank you!
My
name is Abdul Basit and I took English and blogging classes with Ms. Mariya
last summer. I am very excited to be joining her again this summer. So far, I
am enjoying the journalism classes. I’ve learned that journalism means to tell
the truth about the world. A lot of the stuff we are learning is completely new
to me. I have never heard of things like “free press” and while the word
“democracy” is often thrown around in news, I never really understood its
principles until I joined Ms. Mariya’s journalism program. Needless to say Ms.
Mariya is greatly increasing my knowledge and making me a more educated person.I
believe this class will be very helpful in my future. Ms. Mariya is a very good
teacher. She explains everything in detail and takes time to make sure we
understand her lessons. Whenever a difficult word comes up, she helps us define
it in class. We also consult a dictionary to confirm our definitions. Ms.
Mariya is also very organized and prompt. She checks our homework on time and
quizzes us every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday about current events. Though
the class requires a lot of hard work, it is definitely worth it! I am having a
lot of fun so far.
On Monday, June 27th, I arrived to my school, the Al-Imtiaz Academy, to learn about something I had never heard of. As I awaited for the teacher to arrive, I anxiously talked with my friends about how lucky we are to be selected for such a great enrichment opportunity. And today was the first day of class.
Our teacher’s name is Ms. Mariya Ilyas. She has come from the USA and is a student of third year at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Last year she was the Arts and Entertainment Editor for her college weekly newspaper, The Bowdoin Orient. Ms. Mariya has organized a journalism program for us, and she will help us start our very first school newspaper. Her project is made possible by Kathryn Wasserman Davis, a philanthropist who, on her 100th birthday, decided that it would be the young, motivated minds that could bring peace to the world. Ms. Mariya is one of the lucky 100 recipients of Ms. Davis’ Projects for Peace awards.
So far, we have learned what journalism is, why is it important, and how we as students can pratice it. Journalism is defined as telling the truth about the world. It means to report the truth, to investigate, to inform the people about incidents and events that happen around us. Ms. Mariya emphasized two main points of journalism: to provide people access to information and disseminate the truth. We also learned that journalism can be broken down into braches – news and opinions. In short, news articles report and opinion articles give people a voice. News includes breaking news, feature stories, regular news, and investigative reports while opinions include unsigned editorials, signed columns and reviews.
By our third class, we had a better sense of what journalism was. We also know what qualitites a good journalist should possess; he should honest, curious, informed, and objective. A good journalist should never compromise objectively in reporting of the truth.
My fellow classmates and I are very thankful to Ms. Mariya for providing us with such an opportunity to gain important skills and demonstrate our talent. Personally, I am really encouraged and look forward to improving my confidence – both in my writing and speaking.
I will be a junior at Bowdoin College in fall and this summer, I am teaching journalism, a discipline I have come to passionately love, at the Al-Imtiaz Academy located in my hometown Abbottabad, Pakistan. I am grateful to the generous funds provided by philanthropist Kathryn Wesserman Davis who has made this opportunity possible for me. As one of the 100 Davis Projects for Peace recipients, I embarked on this project with the intention of teaching the Pakistani children what journalism is and how to ethically practice it. My goal is to give the students of the Al-Imtiaz Academy a voice by helping them start their very first school newspaper.
The idea of a ‘school newspaper’ is new to these students, who are used to attending school purely for academic studies. Opening up this extracurricular activity will allow them to not only apply their English skills in a new and exciting manner, but also learn how to report the truth – after all, journalism is all about telling the truth. In an increasingly globalized world, there is a dire need for honest and substantive reporting. In Pakistan especially, reporting the truth has become a deadly profession. For example, the recent headlines about journalist Saleem Shahzad’s death – supposedly schemed by Pakistan’s intelligence agency – is but one the many cases of what happens when bitter truth is told. These cases, however, do not discourage me or thousands of other journalists but rather inspire us to continue in our pursuit.
I hope to teach my students the value of this pursuit, especially since the format of disseminating information is changing. Broadcast and online journalism are quickly replacing the traditional way of being aware of obtaining news. No longer are people enjoying their morning coffee with a newspaper in their hand; instead, radios are blasted during the commute to work, hand-held devices are tapped with fingers, and television volumes are turned up after dinner. Of the plethora of information our brains intake daily, it’s important to decipher between fact and opinion, news and advertisement, truth and sensationalism. The ability to critically distinguish truth from all else is a paramount goal of my program.
In this blog, my students are going to tell you what they are learning and doing in class. Be it the daily lessons, homework assignments, class discussions, or the current events quizzes, this blog is an opportunity for the students of the Al-Imtiaz Academy to tell their story. Enjoy!
For awareness in life, we protect ourselves, bond with each other, and identify enemies. Journalism is very important because it helps us do all these things. The two authors also say that we should care about journalism because it “influences the quality of our lives, our thoughts, and our culture.” Journalism records history of a society, how people lived, and what their culture was about. In order to have a truthful account of history, journalists must be honest in their reporting. Richard Just’s definition of journalism now makes sense. “To tell the truth about the world.” It puts it all in perspective, doesn’t it?
