Is Journalism In Crisis?

To answer the above question we have to determine a baseline of what does it mean to be a journalist? Do you recall the time in your life when you told your mom and dad, friends and family you wanted to be a journalist? It was a special time when your dreams of changing the world, making a difference and finding fulfillment in a call energized you. So what happened to change this positive outlook and when did it happen? Like many in any profession it's hard to say because changes happen incrementally. We may point to a salient event that significantly changed our course but these events only knock us further off course.

There is a point in time however when journalists or people slightly go off track, away from the basics that make journalism sustainable as a career and that make journalism sustainable as a benefit to society. Look at the Gallup poll showing a 32% approval rating for journalists, and I quote, 32% say they have "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust, 14% of Republicans express trust, down from 32% last year and confidence drops among younger and older Americans.

The good news is journalists can change public perception and improve their effectiveness as a journalist. To begin, realize fast news cycles pressure journalists to sensationalize the news to keep information at the forefront. Secondly, realize you cannot change the hearts and minds of all constituents, politicians, academia, industry chief execs or rival colleagues because you are dealing with attitudes, personality types, personalities already formed, ideology and inter-generational dynamics. Attitudes, personalities, ideology and inter-generational dynamics can only be mitigated however you can change YOU! A caveat is low information constituents. Here is how. Go back to basics! Circumstances knock all of us off our game. Thus routinely we must schedule a 'go back to basics' as a regimen at least every six months as an informal re-certification. We only have a six month capacity for effectiveness and efficiency before bad habits take over.

If however your goal is to change attitudes you must first understand what an attitude is. The formula for any attitude is Attitude=Cognition+Affect. An attitude consists of cognition or the information you possess about something or someone plus affect or your feelings attached to that information. To alter an attitude, accurate information needs to be conveyed that is logical, showing previous information to be wrong. New feelings will develop connected to the new information. Truthfulness, sincerity and a good motive opens up an individual to receive new information.

Here is a regimen and road map for getting back on track. This is what Journalism should look like.

1. TELL THE TRUTH EVEN IF IT HURTS - NO SPIN. This is the most difficult obligation of being a journalist. It is also the most difficult to commit to in light of ideology differences, personality conflicts and inter-generational conflicts. This is the bump in the road that gets every journalist off track. This is tough but to remain a journalist, a happy journalist who respects yourself you have to fight to keep this obligation to tell the truth with no spin even if it hurts. Every scholar has to contend with this. Audiences always appreciate the truth. Although they may not like it they will respect it. The truth is unique and carries a resonance that an audience can detect. Thus a non-truth has no resonance with the audience and falls flat.
2. DO THINGS WITH THE RIGHT MOTIVE, ALLOW THE POWER OF THE RIGHT MOTIVE TO WORK - MOTIVE also has resonance and an audience can discern if an individual has the right motive, and can discern if information is being delivered with a wrong motive to hurt someone. Weaponized truth falls flat because information given with a wrong motive to hurt someone or to tell on someone falls flat. Planned talking points forced into a conversation can be discerned and fall flat. You must realize the power in authentic truth, the power of a right motive and submit to them.
3. MANAGE PERSONAL PRIDE - Humans of above average intelligence, and the very talented and gifted are very susceptible to pride because of the ability to use multiple pieces of data in a logical manner, and engaging reasoning and critical thinking skills. More than not above average intelligent people are confident they possess the answer to most questions and as a result refuse to receive advise. For example the surgeon who injured a patient because he refused to receive the input of the surgical nurse. The pilot who crashed into a mountain because he failed to listen to his co-pilot who said three times pull up you're going to crash into the mountain .
4. RESET YOUR PERSONAL JOURNALISM - Journalism as it is currently being practiced is heading towards a journalistic Armageddon where all involved both protagonists and antagonists may be injured and lives changed for generations if journalists in general do not change course. Also as a journalist's name recognition rises, salary reaches seven figures and standard of living matches that of celebrity standards it becomes difficult to compartmentalize feelings of pride. It is easy to see pride associated with socioeconomic status driving issues in the news as the comprehensive rules of journalism are transgressed. For example the 'man or woman on the street' looking at television who is struggling financially thinking "these guys haven't a clue about what's going on in my community" as celebrity minded journalists devote inordinate time disproportionately to a topic.
5. YOU'RE NOT THE STORY, PUT THE CITIZEN FIRST - Everyone wants to be famous and everyone wants to defend themselves when attacked. Such situations can pressure a journalist to become the story. Once you take issue with a topic and make it personal you become the story. Be careful if you decide to break this rule. I suggest there is no real reason to break this rule.
6. DO NOT FUDGE, VERIFY INFORMATION, DO NOT GO PUBLIC UNTIL 2 PRIMARY PIECES OF EVIDENCE ARE VERIFIED.
7. ALWAYS KEEP A PROFESSIONAL DISTANCE, DON'T GET TOO CLOSE TO THOSE YOU COVER - it is very difficult if not impossible to report fairly without bias regarding someone who you develop any level of affection for.
8. BE FAIR, BE BALANCED, BE ETHICAL
9. STAY ENGAGED AND MOTIVATED SO YOU CAN BE INTERESTING NOT BORING - when boredom sets in there is a tendency to break journalistic rules especially to inflate reporting for entertainment purposes that compensate for personal boredom. Thus you have to remain personally engaged.
10. BE AWARE OF YOUR EMOTIONS AND SELF MANAGE AT ALL TIMES - manage your emotions before you go off the rails. Get confidential help.
11. DON'T BE PRESUMPTUOUS, DON'T PUSH YOURSELF PASS YOUR EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE LIMITS. Schedule on your calendar a recuperative regimen every six months.
12. DO NOT BE DISPROPORTIONATELY NEGATIVE, OR DISPROPORTIONATELY POSITIVE TO SWAY PUBLIC OPINION - the audience can see BIAS when you give inordinate time to a story.
13. LISTEN TO YOUR CONSCIENCE AND DO NOT VIOLATE YOUR CONSCIENCE. AVOID BEHAVIORS THAT MAY VIOLATE YOUR CONSCIENCE. Chronic breakage of any rules causes desensitization, and a stimulation of your conscience needs to happen with a commitment made to follow your conscience. For example intentionally set personal red lines for yourself and make a quality decision never to cross those lines, such as the golden rule to DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE OTHERS TO DO UNTO YOU! You should at least know and acknowledge if you've transgressed, meaning knowing the truth and willfully ignoring it in order to promote your agenda.

There is now a need for journalism champions from every generational cohort to model 21st century journalism standards locally and globally and it usually starts with a firm decision. It's now up to you to decide what course of action to take. The above road map can facilitate a sustainable journalistic career and a happy career. End Strong!

Lemuel Baker, Ph.D