The Elements of Journalism

In chapter 4, Journalism of Verification, Kovach and Rosenstiel spoke about making sure people verify everything they write in their stories. The one I think is important is Do Not Add, Do Not Deceive, and Originality. I think these are important, because journalists should not write things that never happened. This goes back to the video we watched in class about the man who made up small details in his stories, which he then started telling more lies on top of lies and soon he made up an entire story. It can damage the newspaper as a whole and the writer’s career as a journalist.

Not adding things goes into not deceiving your audience, because both draw the line between fiction and fact. Journalism is about telling the truth about anything a journalist is reporting about, so they should not mislead them or say any lies.

Originality goes into the notion of transparency. This means journalists should know and consider the levels of reporting to their audience. They need to verify all their information, have proof for what they are reporting. They should follow the phrase, “When it doubt leave it out.”