INCONCLUSIVE DEBATE ON JOURNALISM: PROFESSION OR ARTIFACT

News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing events, issues, and characters in the world outside. Though it may be interesting or even entertaining, the foremost value of news is as a utility to empower the informed.

Concerns about social communication emphasize a central idea, that of media coverage. The media coverage process is constructed on two key elements: the media and the public. In communication, information becomes public, intentionally or not, through technical equipment (electronic, computerized). There may be unmediated public communication, such as, for example, public gatherings (political gatherings), as there may be technologically mediated links between people that are not public. It all stems from THE NEED TO KNOW, TO KNOW THE WORLD AND THE OTHERS, TO "STAY IN THE KNOW,” Information collection results in effective communication and, hence, is an essential variable in the communication process. As Newsom and Carrell (2004, 202) state: "Getting the information your organization or client wants in order to have news sources that might present some interest, is a strategic task."

WHO IS THE ENTITY THAT COLLECTS INFORMATION?

HOW IS IT COLLECTED?

ARE THERE TECHNIQUES IN THE COLLECTION?

HOW IS IT PRESENTED?

WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON THE ACTUAL SOCIAL WORLD?

The ideology of common sense dictates everyone should be able to gather information for dissemination to the public. However, between the general public ability to engage and the specific, professional activity of communicating, there are professional communicators belonging to several categories. Journalists, relationalists, advertisers, and other identified entities. Referring to schools such as the Ghana Institute of Journalism, and the African University College of Communications, students gather information by observing, listening, reading, and seeing the world around them, watching TV or other mediums. Engaging in these themes and their projects, they are already familiar with the basic forms of professional communication. These skills are continuously developing, being customized afterward to communication situations at the workplace, public, and family life spheres. It is obvious that everyone communicates; most people have professional knowledge, although the specialists in the field are few.

Over the past years globally, the journalism practice has been refuted by different authorities for it to be seen as a profession. For many of such authorities, the practice tilts away from its ethical conducts, and mainly, practitioners indulging in non-ethical behaviors such as misinformation, taking bribes, loss of objectivity, or portraying a negative image of the practice. “DO THEY HAVE A CASE?” “YES, THEY DO” Without journalism, the world would be ignorant barring its existence is because it gives current and relevant information and news to the public. In Ghana, consumers value objective and fair reporting and condemn journalists who do not follow this standard. Because Ghanaians do not see journalists fulfilling this obligation over the past years, there is a palpable sense that we have somehow strayed from a golden era of press objectivity.

However, “JOURNALISM SHOULD BE SEEN AS A NOBLE PRACTICE AND PROFESSION”.

PRESENTING FACTS AND NOT OPINIONS.

A journalist, as required in the standards of the practice, is expected to investigate, interview, and analyze newsmakers’ stances on issues and present it as a newsworthy story barring any alterations and personal attachments. Due to rapid inventions and innovation, journalism things have turned quite ugly since the arrival of the digital world. The hurdles are now the lowest they have ever been – blogs and vlogs are easily creatable and accessible, avenues fostering the spike in fake news the world over. Changes in technical and economic are disrupting the established professional status, roles, and practices of journalists, removing professional control that previously existed.

Notwithstanding, the professional journalist must be an expert trained to be able to identify a new idea, conduct research, seek in-depth opinions from resource personnel, and publish the story to the audience in society to educate, inform, entertain, and persuade actions.

The prejudiced opinion individuals possess on journalism as “a practice that anybody can indulge in if only you belong to a media organization” cannot be established as a fact on the premise that identifying newsworthy ideas, is not just an event that happens overnight but it is a strategic, research-based piece, as in a professional perspective. Journalism products or contents that lack resonance, are ambiguity-free, and precision is flawed. Professional journalistic writings or content possesses researched, facts, devoid of any defamations or character damages and manifestations of incidents that are relatable to audiences.

For instance, the investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas of Ghana, tags his works as “NAME, SHAME AND JAIL” his news contents entails facts that have been well investigated about “bad practices” in some facets of society, employs different channels of getting the information he needs for the work and disseminated without any ambiguity on issues.

These acts of professionalism address the issues of code of ethics negligence that various authorities hold to question the professionalism of the practice.