Journalism in a rapidly changing world

Today, information and communication technology has contributed immensely in facilitating communication and journalistic engagement in present day society. This transformation is further aided by the interactive nature of the media form of communication that used the interment, social network, virtual world, among others. The advent of the new media also facilitated the creation, modification and sharing of information among citizens. It is as a result of these that a participatory brand of journalism called ‘citizen journalism’ came into existence to further accentuate these changes.

In our contemporary world today, journalism is central and critical to credibility in the gathering, processing and delivery of information for believability. Today, journalism is rapidly-changing, especially in the era of fake news and hate speech dominated 21st century. Media organisations are social institutions among whose functions is making a moral contribution to the society. This belief sees media as ‘agents of power’ and every society ascribes certain duties, rights and responsibilities to the media.

In addition, the media are also expected to operate within the context of a high sense of responsibility and morality.

In this era of new media, positive values and correct attitudinal disposition in journalistic practice must situated quite clear and in original manner the contemporary role of the media within the credibility of information for believability. As the ‘Fourth Estate of the Realm’ or ‘the Watchdog of the Society’, journalism malpractice in a globally-endorsed paradigm must be addressed.

Today, journalism practice is often criticized and hardly enjoys public confidence as a result of what journalists do or fail to do, and this calls for a sound moral decision in daily journalistic performance. Therefore, this article calls for ethical journalism thinking. Another call is global practice of investigative and data-driven journalism, because, since the notable Watergate scandal, which came to be the journalistic nomenclature for major political scandals across the globe, in ‘Dasukigate’ or ‘Thabogate’ and other instances in the US and elsewhere in the world paved way for this call.

Aondover Eric Msughter,

Kano.

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