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Book Review - The Elements Of Journalism
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Book Details Title: The Elements of Journalism Authors: Bill Kovach, Tom Rosenstiel Publisher: Three Rivers Press, New York. Year of Publication: 2001 Number of Pages: 207 SYNOPSIS Journalism provides something unique to a culture - independent, reliable, accurate and comprehensive information that citizens require to be free. - The Elements Of Journalism. TThe Elements Of Journalism, as the name suggests, discusses the core principles and practices of Journalism. While providing a frogeye view of modern journalism, the book studies the fundamentals of the profession, how they evolved over time and how certain core values of journalism have endured. The book is an end result of three years of empirical studies and detailed research carried out by the authors in association with renowned journalists in the United States of America. It conveys at large the theory and culture of journalism. It states nine core principles that the authors believe form the skeleton of sound journalism. These are principles that have ebbed and flowed over time, but they have always in some manner been evident. They are the elements of journalism, state the authors. The book dedicates one chapter to each of these nine elements of journalism expounding on its meaning. Each chapter etches out the roots, the underlying theories and most importantly the relevance of the element that it covers to modern journalism. The authors have delved deep into the issues that surround basic journalistic values like obligation to truth, loyalty to citizens and the discipline of verification questioning often the lack of trustworthiness and soundness in journalism today. The book very clearly outlines the challenges faced by the journalists and reasons convincingly that even in the face of tremendous pressures, both economic and political, a journalist cannot evade his responsibility to the public by compromising on any of these basic principles. An engaging and thought-provoking book, The Elements Of Journalism not only makes for interesting reading but also makes you sit back and look at the state of affairs in the field of Journalism today. BOOK REVIEW Who is a journalist? What does journalism mean to journalists and to the public today? How has it evolved and what has influenced it to change? Who is accountable for the misinformation that hounds journalism and how can we deal with this assault? How can we as journalists still maintain balance and fairness amidst organizational chaos and intellectual stagnation? What should the citizens know and expect form the Press? These and many more such questions are answered by The Elements Of Journalism by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. Journalism put quite simply, is a system that society generates to supply news. It has evolved from the simple sounding of drums in the market place to the sophisticated telecommunication systems of the present times. Today, when journalism is challenged by a revolution in communications, and when business pressure and bottom line have replaced journalism in Newsroom discussions, journalists stand baffled questioning their power and role in the society while citizens are increasingly losing confidence in the press and screaming out loud for the acknowledgement of their right to know the truth. As a professional journalist, I find The Elements Of Journalism to be an ideal induction to the widely talked about yet greatly misunderstood profession of journalism. With a clear objective of describing the elements of journalism, while outlining the fundamentals of the profession, the authors have also brought to focus the challenges, the dilemmas and the choices open to journalists of the 21st century. Reading through scores of examples and case studies in the book, one can relate to the various interpretations subjected to journalism through the years. Tracing the influence of society, politics, marketing and advertising on journalism the book highlights the various attitude changes that occurred within the fraternity. The book effectively explains the current mindset of the public and emphasizes on the immediate need for journalism that is ruthlessly true and fiercely independent. This book being a result of discussions with renowned journalists of the United States of America, forming the Committee for Concerned Journalists, not only gives the reader a broader perspective but also a reliable and fairly universal frame of reference. To journalists it reads as a stark reminder of our duties and responsibilities as agents of the press. A straightforward, insightful and thought provoking book, The Elements Of Journalism, puts all our conditioned notions and concepts to question and urges us to think, understand, analyze and reconsider how we define Journalism today. I hope this review will help you. Feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions that you may have. Gary, Editor, QuikContent Services. BACK TO HOME PAGE |
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