What is Journalism?

Jean Garner, a guest speaker from Al Jazeera English, asked the students of JOUR 199 what they considered journalism to be. Through her work with Al Jazeera, Garner focuses on the impact documentaries have on rural communities as well as the network’s Western audience. The program seeks observational films that are character driven, bringing a face and voice to important issues related to social justice, minority rights, economic equality and civil rights.

Garner drew on our own experiences, questioning whether or not social media constituted as a form of journalism. As college students, we use social media every day, having access to Facebook and Twitter on our smart phones and other electronic device unbeknownst to us even twenty years ago. The majority of the class wasn’t sure as to how to answer. The daily updates of the minor nuances in our lives—what we ate for breakfast, the obnoxious driver that cut us off while driving, are concise reports of actual events. Is that journalism? Garner argued that it could be; where we draw the line on how we get our news becomes our responsibility.

A former ABC news correspondent with broadcast experience, Garner explained how documentaries are a form of journalism, despite their bias. Often the best reporters with a vested interest in the topic they’re reporting can’t maintain objectivity; the closer you are to your subject matter, the harder it is to cover. She uses the example of a photographer from New Jersey who photographed the Twin Towers until four days before 9/11. The attack affected his ability to photograph the event objectively because he had a personal connection to his subject. Garner’s love for her ability to provide an honest voice for the voiceless made me think about why I want to be a journalist. I realized that regardless of its outlet, journalists have the ability to convey the thoughts and emotions of those who cannot, allowing others to see the world through a different perspective.

Alyssa Rege