Chapter One: What is Journalism?

As a profession, journalism seems to be exceptional in that the roles and expectations of its practitioners are fairly ambiguous.

Traditional professions such as doctors, lawyers etc appear to have clear boundaries defining their roles and responsibilities, with institutions and bodies to govern their behaviour.

Journalism, on the other hand, seems to be caught in a perpetual conversation with itself about what it is they’re doing, who are they doing it for and sometimes even if it is right to be doing what they do.

The Media Entertainment Arts Alliance has attempted to define the fundamental principals of journalism, numerous academics (including the Tapsall & Varley) have conducted studies and written texts on the subject but I wonder how much these contributions actually inform the practice of everyday journalists.

Perhaps we have to settle with this quote lifted from the first chapter: ‘There is no simple definition of what a journalist is’.