Reflection and Process: Final Assignment (Post 3)

Last week, I've sent emails to The Straits Times and Temesak Review. Both parties did not reply to my emails.

Yesterday, I managed to catch hold of a contact,working in Mediacorp. This afternoon, I have sent an email of the questions for his reference and vetting. Hopefully it is related to his field of work and he accepts the interview. Since Temesak Review did not reply, I should send an email to The Online Citizen as a replacement interview. Hopefully I can retrieve an expert interviewee from the editorial board.

In addition, I've prepared some potential answers and case studies to illustrate certain points about citizen journalism. In the recent coming days, I should continue to pay attention to popular news stories featured on Temesak Review and The Online Citizen. That should help with some contextual knowledge, so I can fully understand my interviewee's answers.

Tomorrow I shall meet with my two minor interviewees for their opinions about citizen journalism, social media and trends amongst youth. Hopefully, I can meet with the deadlines and obtain the responses via email.

Reflection and Process: Final Assignment (Post 2)

It is time to decide on the interviewees of the feature story. In order to give it both sides of the story, it should focus an interview with an expert related to the mainstream media field as well as an expert who has knowledge and experience with citizen journalism in Singapore. It would also be interesting to include the current trend of citizen journalism and social media among youths. Having two minor interviewees to this story can add some personal touch and relay their experiences, views and opinions about citizen journalism. Preferably, including these experiences as short anecdotes and evidence to back up certain points.

To start the ball rolling and early preparation, I've sent emails to Temesak Review and the Straits Times Online. Hopefully, I'l receive an email soon.

Reflection and Process: Final Assignment

I've chosen the subject of Citizen Journalism as the main topic. Originally, I had decided to write a feature story comparing between Citizen Journalism and Mainstream Media. But was advised against it because it sounded like an essay than a feature. I had to re-angle and rethink about Citizen Journalism. Returning back to basics, I picked one the most pressing issues associated with Citizen Journalism, its reliability.

This is a draft of questions for the potential interviewees to answer:

1) Do you think Citizen Journalism is a reliable source of news? Why?

2) What is the role of the citizen in journalism with the advent of social platforms like Twitter, blogging, forums and websites?

3) Do you think Citizen Journalism is trying to compete or co-exist with mainstream? How?

4) What can be improved to further citizen journalism's reliability?

5) In your opinion, what is the state of mainstream journalism?

It would be better to consider the personal opinions of my interviewees, directing them with the open-ended approach - whether they supported citizen journalism or not. This concludes the first stage of planning for the final assignment.

Moral minefields: legal and ethical dilemma

This week's seminar seems more relevant in Singapore's context than any other Western countries in the world. Singapore remains to be conservative towards complete freedom of speech, aligning with strict defamatory and libel laws. Within the Singapore context, it serve to protect the government and key political leaders from slander and defamatory remarks. In other cases, it was used as a tool to bankrupt political opponents like Dr. Chee Soon Juan and the late Mr. J.B. Jeyaretnam. Nonetheless, Singapore has somewhat made history with its defamation and libel laws.

Hence, working with such strict constraints and margin of error, any negative remark or opinion has the potential of being a libelous or defamatory remark or words. Journalists have to equip themselves with the knowledge of media law. At the first stage and line of defense is to avoid defamation altogether, if it is not factual but opinionated, seeking to question the subject/subjects' reputation, it should not be published. If necessary, the second line of defense is to be equipped with legal defenses such as fair comment.

Similar to the previous week's subject about truth and objectivity, a journalist has to abide to ethics, as Keeble (2009) has explained, as a set of code of conduct and actions to guide a journalist. Ethics serve not only to protect journalists themselves from defamation and ill-conduct but most importantly, it takes into a further consideration for sources. Just like the medical profession and ethics: "Do no harm". Journalism also sought to keep their sources safe (anonymity against corporate/criminal illegal activities) and to protect those who are helpless (victims). Journalists must recognise there are potential moral minefields and ethics to uphold their professionalism.

References:

Keeble, R. (2009). Ethics for Journalists second edition. Routledge: New York.

Truth & objectivity: post modern casualties or victims of PR piracy?

Truth and objectivity should be the goal of every journalist, to ensure that credible, reliable news. Tickle (2001) elaborates that the role of the journalist is to perceive and interpret reality as truthful as possible for the intended audience. This week's topic is about reporting accurately in terms of facts and a news devoid of opinions and subjectivity.

Simply put, this is not an easy task for any journalist. As human beings, we are filled with opinions, ideas, perspectives and principles. This is attributed largely to our different backgrounds as people, our upbringing, our passion, knowledge and personality. Everyone is different, hence everyone has their own opinions. Although it is respectful to acknowledge differing views and ideas, a journalist has to break this acknowledgment for clear, factual, accurate reporting abiding by the journalistic ethics and practices.

There are several factors to list that impede a journalist's ability to remain objective and truthful. Journalists often have their own religious obligations, moral principles to live with. Others seek to protect their own reputation as top-notched journalists, some news are written to sensationalise, others are purely fictional and fabricated altogether.

In order to counter this, the journalist has to recognise and practice the code of conduct, ethics set out by fellow journalists to ensure the survival and continuity of journalism as a profession. Without carrying the traits of impartiality, accuracy, discovering the truth and both sides of a story: one can never be considered a journalist. Cliche as it sounds, a journalist is a noble profession - since it seeks to inform, it must accurately inform the public and never for other personal or corporate reasons.

References:

Tickle, S 2001, The Truth, the whole truth and nothing but... in Journalism Theory in Practice, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne