Traditional journalism can be defined as synthesizing or curating primary documents or interviews into a coherent story which has no or negligible public contribution. This kind of journalism is majorly practiced in complex and formal organizations where they have multiple gatekeepers (proofreaders, editors) and they are highly competitive.
There are four dimensions that are perceived as must included aspects when it comes to traditional journalism: good neighbor, unbiased, accurate, fast and watchdog in the society. Journalism relies largely on the accuracy and credibility of its writers and thus a set format or guidelines is necessary to protect the authenticity of news. Traditional newspapers or radios uphold their high standards because they follow certain codes and conducts, making them legit. Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has listed the code of ethics in which there are four main guidelines:
- Seek the truth and report to it
- Minimize Harm
- Act independently
- Be accountable
The debacle that is set apart professionals in this field is their orientation of work. A news story when produced by a platform where an authoritative control of content is there, will contain facts, nothing but facts and facts that are actually facts. Traditional journalism highlights the importance of fact-checking, seeking multiple sources and following up on a story. But, with the growing hype of internet news and viral news trends, the codes are loosing up. With more ground to cover and less time to deliver, there is no promise of accuracy. It’s always said that what takes time yields better results but in this fast-paced world, is anybody really looking for the better?
