journalism defined

[Doug Millison]

journalism

the collection, preparation, and distribution of news and related
commentary and feature materials through such media as pamphlets,
newsletters, newspapers, magazines, radio, motion pictures, television, and
books. The word journalism was originally applied to the reportage of
current events in printed form, specifically newspapers, but with the
advent of radio and television in the 20th century, the use of the term has
broadened to include all printed and electronic communication dealing with
current affairs.

from:
"journalism" Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
<http://members.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=45046&sctn=1>
[Accessed 12 October 2001].


In my Online Journalism FAQ (http://www.online-journalist.com/faq.html),
which has been used in many journalism courses in the U.S., Europe, and
Asia, and which has been reprinted in books and other published works, I
define  journalism as "any non-fiction or documentary narrative that
reports or analyzes facts and events firmly rooted in time (either topical
or historical) which are selected and arranged by reporters, writers, and
editors to tell a story from a particular point of view." I go on to say
that, "online journalists have the same influence on their audiences that
mass media journalists have -- by choosing which stories to report; by
choosing which facts, quotes, and other story elements to include and which
to exclude; by choosing to tell the story from a particular point of view.
A crime story told from the point of view of the victim will elicit a
different reaction from the same story told from the point of view of the
criminal, for example, whether that story is presented in the morning
newspaper, on the 6 o'clock TV news, or on the Web. The Web's interactivity
and hyperlinking gives the journalist more opportunities to examine
multiple points of view in a particular piece than traditional, analog
media. The lack of serious space limitations permits online journalists to
develop a story more fully and to publish source documents and background
material. "



Doug Millison - Writer/Editor/Web Editorial Consultant
millison at online-journalist.com
www.Online-Journalist.com