Beatrice Groth

Journalism, from its beginning in the seventeenth century, was the medium of circulation of information from the grassroots to the ruling powers, and vice versa. Journalists were basically meant to expose the wrong doings of the ruling powers, as well as be the mouthpiece of the common man. In Journalism and Society Denis McQuail argued that, ‘the newspaper was characterized in one key phrase as ‘the nerves of the society’, akin to the nervous system of the human body’ (McQuail, 2013, p. 38). 

Mike Jemson, the director of Media Wise, at his recent lecture to the University of East London students, argued that, ‘the Minorities, Asylum seekers, and the Grassroots, are not well represented in newspaper reports.’  However, the notion of news as a profit oriented commodity, arguable may have contributed to prioritizing the privileged and prominent over the less privileged or, the common people of the society. The grassroots of the societies are always anxious to read, watch and learn from the stories of the celebrities, while most celebrities may not be that anxious about the ordinary people, let alone the troubles of the Asylum seekers. McChesney (2000) cited in Martin Conboy’s Journalism in Britain, argued that, ‘…issues such as racism, social inequality or urban sprawl are not adequately dealt with or even taken as given, sin the historical and ideological context required is inimical to the news values of mainstream profit-making journalism’ (Conboy, M. 2010, p. 148).

In conclusion, journalism is a product of the society, and for journalists to be seen as ethical in their news reports, there is need to get rid of discrepancies from the news, and report stories truthfully, objectively and without bias, as recommended by Mike Jemson in his lecture.