Journalism is one of the most coveted and respected professions today. It not only exposes a person to the world but also helps to gain knowledge through its course of actions. Journalism is surely one of the best choices when it comes to making a career choice. Since this profession involves social dynamism as well as the economic and political dimensions, some standards and ethical practices define the purity of the profession at its ground level. It is a profession that does not remain restricted to gathering and circulating information but also enables a person to perform his/her social duties towards the country and its people.

However, when it comes to journalism, we cannot ignore the fact that several journalists misuse the powers that lay with the practice of this profession. Twisting the truth for some vested interest, getting the records and findings tampered to project a rosy picture all the times, or to highlight the matters of less importance over the grave issues are some of the key facets observed in unethical journalism. Journalists bear the responsibility of letting everyone know the reality behind the occurrences, and therefore, a certain level of transparency and ethics should be maintained in this profession to keep it out of any contamination.

Here, in this article below, we will be shedding light on some of the practices that reflect the key aspects of good journalism:

Accuracy & Truth

Truth and falsehood are two very strong, yet opposite notions related to knowledge and statements. When it comes to delivering information, journalists are expected to provide only the truth and nothing short of it. Even a twisted truth or a partial truth is considered as good as fake. Though circumstantially, it is not feasible for the journalists to get accurate news and information every time, it should be their honest endeavor to fetch the information at its best. Inappropriate information can lead to social agitation and may also probe the mass to take wrong decisions regarding an issue which could be fatal for the future. Therefore, fair practices in journalism must abide by the cardinal rule of maintaining truth and accuracy.

Unbiased Information

As far as good journalism is concerned, it refers to presenting the truth in a way that does not hurt or protect the interest of any specific person or group of persons.  Neither all the stories put up by the journalists can be objective, nor can every element be incorporated each time equally into every reporting. But altogether, the reports or stories must reflect an unbiased and impartial layout so that the readers can build fair opinion regarding the same. This variety of fair reporting also helps the mass to gain confidence and trust in the profession of journalism. While reporting, detailed elaborations of acts of brutality or inhumanity should be carefully avoided to make the content readable for all ages.

Accountability

Journalism is a profession that has a greater cause to serve. People rely on the news published based on the statements of the journalists and the footage collected by them. Therefore, good journalism demands a journalist to be accountable to the mass at large and to the country he/she is serving. Even an unintended error can lead to undesirable consequences. Every piece of information must be checked before getting published. The motto of journalism has always been to support and benefit humanity and not to harm it anyway. Therefore, every task should be done, placing the well-being of the people on the front line.

We, at the K.R. Mangalam University, positioned as the Top Journalism University in Haryana, firmly believe that journalism is one profession that requires the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We have hence ensured to train every journalism student of ours in such a way so that their virtues and moralities are polished and strengthened just as much as their academic skills. At KRMU, we believe that journalists should be courageous enough to stand on the side of truth no matter what. Hence, at our institution, we glorify and put forward the examples of the great journalists like Martha Gell horn, H. S Thompson, Carl Bernstein, etc., before the students to set ideal role models for them so that they can get inspired and follow the path that leads to good journalism.

Also Read: How to Succeed in Mass Communication and Journalism