Blog Eleven: Locating Myself Within the Field of Communication

I see myself specifically within the mass communication discipline as I plan on writing for the media in the future, whether that be as a journalist or within public relations.  Media communication includes “newspapers, magazines and other forms of print, cable, radio, television, film and new media technologies such as the internet.” (natcom.org) I am personally concerned with newspapers, magazines and the internet as media in particular, because in writing articles and press releases, these are the primary forms through which information is conveyed and also the forms that represent threats to one another in terms of the journalism industry.

            A number of scholars have written on journalism as a form of media communication.  Susan Brockus writes about journalism’s role in perpetuating the attitudes and ideas that society holds through writing.  She says that journalism “traditionally has assumed a role in relating to the maintenance and evocation of a society’s values”.  (Brockus, 1)  Essentially, Brockus focuses on journalism’s ability to share meaning through verbal communication and to enforce society’s ideals through this medium.  She discusses how journalism is becoming a shrinking industry because of the presence of other technologies that are easier to access and that provide readers with information that they can derive their own meaning from.  Wilma Stassen further elaborates on journalism’s role in communicating to the public and its need to be fused with or replaced by other forms of media, such as social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  While journalism provides society with a presentational form of communication that spins events and emphasizes a particular view or opinion, social media “allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content” that permits readers to form a relationship in which they are meant to respond and not just simply accept information. (Stassen, 5)

            I would like to expand on research already done in the field and figure out exactly why less people read newspapers and magazines, and the opinion they have of the views typically expressed.  It would be interesting to see if people perceive journalism as enforcing a certain set of democratic ideals and allowing no room for personal feedback, or if technology that allows easier access to information is the deciding factor in whether they read newspapers or not.  I would also like to look into if writing and is as effective at conveying a message as speaking is, considering there is no verbal communication in writing.

            I see myself continuing the work of these scholars by critically analyzing journalism and its limitations in assuming that all people will perceive an event the same, and, in that matter, implying a lack of heterogeneity amongst audiences.  I would also assess the representations that the media puts forth within its writing and how they have both conditioned and perpetuated what is and is not acceptable. I plan on going to gradate school for journalism and actually applying what I have learned using information that I gather to ensure that the messages encoded within my writing are received and comprehended. 

Bibliography:

Brockus, Susan. "Rethinking the Reader's Role in Community Journalism." Rethinking the Reader's Role in Community Journalism. 50.4 (2009): 1-6. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.

National Communication Association. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://www.natcom.org/>.

Stassen, Wilma. "Your News in 140 Characters: Exploring the Role of Social Media in Journalism." Global Media Journal 4.1 (2010): 1-16. EBSCO. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.