Resumo de Journalism (2)

Journalism's RoleIn the 1920's, as modern journalism was just taking form, writer Walter Lippmann and American philosopher John Dewey debated over the role of journalism in a democracy. It is important to understand their differing philosophies.Lippmann understood that journalism's role at the time was to act as a mediator or translator between the public and policymaking elites. The journalist became the middleman. When elites spoke, journalists listened and recorded the information, distilled it, and passed it on to the public for their consumption. His reasoning behind this was that the public was not in a position to deconstruct a growing and complex flurry of information present in modern society, and so an intermediary was needed to filter news for the masses. Lippman put it this way: The public is not smart enough to understand complicated, political issues. Furthermore, the public was too consumed with their daily lives to care about complex public policy. Therefore the public needed someone to interpret the decisions or concerns of the elite to make the information plain and simple. That was the role of journalists. Lippmann believed that the public would effect the decision making of the elite with their vote. In the meantime, the elite (i.e. politicians, policy makers, bureacrats, scientists, etc.) would keep the business of power running. In Lippman's world, the journalist's role to the public informed of what the elites were doing. It was also to act as a watchdog over the elites as the public had the final say with their votes. Effectively that kept the public at the bottom of the power chain, catching the flow of information that is handed down from experts/elites.Dewey, on the other hand, believed the public was not only capable of understanding the issues created or responded to by the elite. In fact, it was in the public forum that decisions should be made after discussion and debate. When issues were throughly vetted, then the best idea would buble to the surface. Dewey believed that journalists not only had to inform the public, but should report on issues differently than simply passing on information. In Dewey's world, a journalist's role changed. Dewey believed that journalists should take in the information, then weigh the consequences of the policies being enacted by the elites on the public. Over time, his idea has been implemented in various degrees, and is more commonly known as "community journalism." This concept of Community Journalism is at the center of new developments in journalism as it takes the classical approach to the news up to a totally new level. In this new level, journalists are able to engage citizens and the experts/elites in the proposition and generation of content. Connections are essential. In order to create this newsroom environment everyone must be on the same level, underscoring the importance of equal footing. It's important to note that while there is an assumption of equality, Dewey still celebrates expertise. Dewey belives that the shared knowledge of many is far superior to the one's individual knowledge. Experts and scholars are welcome in Dewey's framework, but there is not the hierarchical structure present in Lippman's understanding of journalism and society. According to Dewey, conversation, debate, and dialogue lay at the heart of a democracy.John Dewey's thoughts are rendering the term audience in the past, as "audience" implies a passive role in the spread of information.Lippman's journalistic philopshy is ideal in the field's conventional model, however, Dewey's approach is more likely to sustain the profession.

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