Journalism

What is journalism?  Easy question - in its most general sense, journalism is the art of investigating and reporting information and news to an audience.  There can be many forms of journalism, based on varying types of information, or directed toward different types of audiences, but the function and practice of most journalists is generally very similar.  If a group of people needs or wants to know about something, they often count on journalists to tell them.

A more involved question, however, would be:  why is journalism necessary?  Or more specifically:  what purposes do journalists themselves hope to fulfill in their work?  One of the most recognized and important roles journalists take upon themselves is that of the "fourth branch" or "fourth estate".  This title, given to the media as a whole, is in reference to the three branches of government set forth in the United States Constitution.  Apart from the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches sits the news media, whose role it is to inform citizens of the activities and actions of their various government leaders.  In a Democratic Republic, where the people choose representatives to conduct the affairs of the country, it is absolutely necessary that those people are aware of and understand the issues discussed by government officials.  Journalism, independent of government, provides this service in a free nation.

As an aspiring sports writer, my focus will be on another, perhaps less important, purpose of journalism:  that of entertainment.  Sports is almost exclusively an entertainment business.  The self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader" of the sports journalism industry is ESPN - the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.  In comparing ESPN's signature, award winning program SportsCenter to traditional news networks, it is apparent that entertainment, rather than information, is the main goal.  SportsCenter's emphasis on video highlights, bold color schemes, and odd camera angles contrast greatly to that of CNN's Newsroom, for example, whose focus is much more professional and conservative.  The world of entertainment journalism is not restricted to sports, of course, but can include movies, music, video games, and unlimited other genres.

Obviously, journalism involves much more than these few emphases, but at this point in my studies, it seems to me that entertainment and the "fourth branch" will be the most important in my potential career as a sports journalist.