Part 1: Situational Definition
Mark Russell is the Executive Director of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tennessee. On Tuesday, March 20, 2018, shared his story and 30-year career journey in journalism with the future journalist at Penn State University. He addressed his concern for the declining trust in journalism and print journalism as a whole as technology and social media are increasing. Weighing in his opinions and what he does to remain ethical and help solve these problems in his everyday life as a journalist.
Part 2: Analysis
Russell first addresses the decline of trust in journalism and the drastic change in journalism in 1976 and even since Trump has taken the presidency. With technology and social media platforms become a huge part of journalism, it can be harder to tell who credible and what sources are to trust. I related this to a recent case involving journalist, Alex Harris. While reporting for the Miami Herald and covering the Parkland, Fl. school shooting, someone created fake news tweets from her own Twitter handle name with disrespectful and distasteful comments. This created an uproar from her audience, and confusion on if they were able to trust reporters in the situation, or Alex Harris herself
Fake tweets and fake news is common in today’s technological society. Russell continues to explain what this means for journalist… finding new ways and platforms to connect with the audience, in order to build a stronger relationship with more trust. But, with this comes a new concern, print journalism as a whole, and how to better connect with users through new platforms and tactics.
An article by Stephanie E. Bor, Teaching Social Media Journalism: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Curriculum Design, explains how journalism schools are even integrating more social media classes and informational into their curriculum due to the rise in online news outlets and social media.
Russell notes his appreciation for the upcoming journalist several times throughout his lecture, knowing that this is the technical generation that journalism needs to help citizens connect and gain more trust. He also told us how he personally works to make sure he remains ethical and personal to his audience while he works, sharing that he often goes to a ‘hole-in-the-wall restaurant’ in his town to talk to everyday citizens in the town and learn more about their points of view on topics that are happening locally.
Part 3: Conclusion
I found Russell’s lecture to be very relative to our class and the ethical problems and concerns we have talked about up to this point. It is evident that journalism is amidst a change and that our generation has much responsibility in making it a smoother and ethical one.
Part 4: References
Bor, S. E. (2014). Teaching social media journalism: Challenges and opportunities for future curriculum design. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 69(3), 243-255. Retrieved from http://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1559860258?accountid=13158
‘Miami Herald’ Journalist Explains How A Hoax Tweet Affected Her Reporting On Shooting. (2018, February 27). Retrieved March 23, 2018, from https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/589279395/miami-herald-journalist-explains-how-a-hoax-tweet-affected-her-reporting-on-shoo