Journalism, the World and the Future
Discussion of the future of journalism from GMU
The following item was first posted at Journalism, Journalists and the World. One of the good things about the Wikileaks cables, I argue, is that it shows how the U.S. Foreign Service promotes and protects U.S. jobs — a very domestic issue.
Unfortunately few in the U.S. — and within the journalism community — understand that connection.
Perhaps a new generation of journalism students will grasp the local connection to international issues and the international side of local issues.
One can only hope.
A lot has been said about the Wikileaks cables and how they have — at a minimum — hurt the ability of U.S. diplomats to do their jobs. (A position I still hold.)
Most of the cables would have been declassified 10 years after they were written so anyone interested would have been able to see everything we are seeing today.
But that is just the problem — that “anyone interested” part. Damn few people in the States seem interested. (Unless they have a political agenda.)
Thanks to Wikileaks more people are now paying attention to what U.S. diplomats do. And how that work affects local situations.
A recent story in the New York Times showed how closely domestic and international affairs are linked. (Diplomats Help Push Sales of Jetliners on the Global Market)
Anyone who pays even the slightest attention to domestic economic affairs should know that the U.S. economy depends on trade. That means imports and exports. That means trade agreements and the ability to sell goods and services overseas.
And just how do you think the agreements that allow for imports and exports happen? Yep, through the work of the foreign services of a number of U.S. government agencies.
The Trade Representative Office works to make sure that our trade partners adhere to the trade treaties the sign with us.
The State Department negotiates the treaties and protects U.S. interests abroad. (Government and business.)
The Foreign Commercial Service (Commerce Department) has offices around the world promoting the sales of U.S. products from fortune cookies (yes, really) to aircraft.
The Agriculture Department has offices in most of the major U.S. embassies promoting U.S. agricultural sales as well as working to ensure the safety of food imported into the United States. (BTW, did you know that Wisconsin ginseng is more popular in China than Korean or Chinese ginseng?)
So why is there so much talk about cutting the foreign affairs’ budgets? I can only think it is out of pure ignorance of what the U.S. foreign service agencies do for the American government, people and businesses.
As I have stated before, foreign affairs does not have a constituency that can speak for it before Congress. The Pentagon hands out contracts to all 435 Congressional districts. And all the other agencies deal with domestic issues that voters can see and understand.
Unfortunately, the U.S. media have not helped the situation. Years of neglect about why events in the rest of the world mean anything to the American people have given us a generation (or more) of globally unaware people and leaders.
The amazing thing about the NYTimes story linked above is that the Times is treating this as news. As the article said, “It is not surprising that the United States helps American companies doing business abroad, given that each sale is worth thousands of jobs and that their foreign competitors do the same.”
Interestingly, the article focused on the sale of Boeing passenger jets. Yet there are also a number of Wikileaks cables that deal with the sale of U.S. military hardware. And this is just as important to keeping U.S. factories working.
Too bad they missed that little tidbit.
The authors find the details to be interesting. And they are. But, again, anyone who paid attention to such things did not need Wikileaks to get this kind of information.
But with media groups cutting budgets and bean counters screaming, “Local! Local! Local!” the resources are just not available to do the stories that explain to readers/viewers/listeners the connection between overseas’ events and their local economy on a regular basis.
So I guess even the harshest critics of Wikileaks should be thankful that finally the media are beginning to do some stories that show the domestic impact of what the foreign services do overseas. (I don’t really expect to see many more like the story mentioned above, but it would be nice.)
Thanks to Stuff Journalists Like for pointing out a blog by Nikki Villoria. (Follow her on Twitter at @NikkiVillori.)
6 Things You Should Know Before Dating a Student Journalist
Bullet points:
- Know When to Approach. If there is a major event occurring that includes fires, natural disasters, sirens, fighting politicians, or riots, DO NOT approach us unless you have a relevant quote, good insight to the situation or a possible source.
- Student Journalists Commit. We are building our career the minute we decide to major in journalism. If we see something we like, we dedicate ourselves to it 100 percent, which makes us great in relationships.
- We are Loyal. We pride ourselves as being transparent and we know that the truth will eventually be found out, so we always tell the truth at the very start.
- We are Great With People. We are out in crowds interviewing and mingling with everyone we meet.
- We are Informed. The future of our career depends on us knowing the ins and outs of everything around us.
- You Will be Quoted. Since you are a part of our lives and we spend so much time with you, chances are at one point or another you will say something that catches our attention more than normal, and we will quote you in an article or homework assignment.
Editor-in-chief of Reuters News David Schlesinger told a Hong Kong audience Oct 15 that journalism today is less about delivering straight facts than providing actionable information.
“That’s why this is the age of the publisher,” he said. “Journalists who understand this will survive. Those who don’t will be irrelevant.”
Schlesinger was speaking as part of a regular series sponsored by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at Hong Kong University.
When readers/viewers/listeners can easily snag online the basic facts to any even, it is important for professional journalists to provide insight and interpretation. Or, to use a term I hammered into my J students, context.
This kind of journalism has three pillars, Schlesinger said: journalistic excellence, presentation and utility to the client.
Schlesinger’s remarks to the JMSC crowd reinforces the idea that readers/viewers/listeners are now seen as “clients” and “users.” Professional journalism is no longer about sending information to a passive audience.
Journalists must continue to report breaking news, Schlesinger said, but that alone will not make it. Journalists, he added, need to produce stories that have an impact and address an audience’s interests and habits. Obviously, he said, this will be more difficult for a wire service such as Reuters.
For individual journalists, however, it offers an opportunity. Schlesinger said modern journalists need to think of themselves as individual brands.
“You’re nothing without your own brand. You have to establish yourself, what you stand for, your expertise.”
Besides knowing how to use social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, modern journalists need to be serious about knowing a subject inside out.
Knowing a second language doesn’t hurt either.
“Take some risks as well. It’s the new angles and the new stories that will help distinguish you.”
Again, this is something I have been arguing for some time. Except the risk in U.S. journalism is often making a connection between local and global events.
The local reporter who can see the global links in a local event or a local connection to an international story will provide more than just information to his/her local audience. Context and connections — or as Schlesinger said, “utility to the client” — will help the reader/listener/viewer better understand why a story is important.
Publishers and station owners who chant “Local! Local! Local!” as if that alone will save cash-strapped media organizations fail to see that while news consumers want news about their local areas, they also want context. And maybe more Americans will start paying attention to international news — other than wars, riots and disasters — if they see there is a link to their local community.
And the links exist. It just takes a journalist willing to “take risks” and an editor with some smarts.
Here is the full Schlesinger presentation:
Communications Internship
Location: United States (Washington, DC)
Contact Information: Human Resources
Phone: 202-509-8400
Email: humanresources@cfr.org
Council on Foreign Relations Human Resources Office
1777 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
FAX (202) 509-8490
humanresources@cfr.org
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
Department: Office of Communications
Length of internship: Spring 2011
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, CFR carries out its mission by maintaining a diverse membership, with special programs to promote interest and develop expertise in the next generation of foreign policy leaders; convening meetings at its headquarters in New York and in Washington, DC, and other cities where senior government officials, members of Congress, global leaders, and prominent thinkers come together with CFR members to discuss and debate major international issues; supporting a Studies Program that fosters independent research, enabling CFR scholars to produce articles, reports, and books and hold roundtables that analyze foreign policy issues and make concrete policy recommendations; publishing Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal on international affairs and U.S. foreign policy; sponsoring Independent Task Forces that produce reports with both findings and policy prescriptions on the most important foreign policy topics; and providing up-to-date information and analysis about world events and American foreign policy on its website,CFR.org.
The Communications and Marketing department focuses on maximizing the presence of CFR in print, broadcast, and online media outlets and on promoting CFR’s roster of products, which includes on-the-record events, CFR books, Council Special Reports, Task Force reports, working papers, online publications and interactive features, and Foreign Affairs articles. The department also works to ensure that CFR experts are visible in the news media.
The responsibilities of the intern will include (but are not limited to): • Maintaining the media contact database • Fielding public inquiries about CFR and media requests for experts • Tracking and recording media mentions of CFR publications • Assisting staff at on-the-record events • Providing general administrative support • Assist with CFR’s social media presence and strategy.
Qualification:
Preferred Qualifications: • Academic major in Communications, Journalism, or International Relations • Proficiency in MS Word and Excel • Ability to multitask and work well collectively in a fast-paced environment • Good organizational skills and attention to detail
A modest stipend is offered upon completion of the internship.
Qualified candidates may email, fax, or mail their resume and cover letter INCLUDING POSITION NAME, DAYS AND TIMES AVAILABLE TO WORK to the above address. The Council on Foreign Relations is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Quality, diversity and balance are the key objectives sought by the Council on Foreign Relations in the composition of its workforce.
There is a great site called “Cub Reporters.Org” that lists not only internships but also job openings in journalism.
Granted, many of the listings are for outside the Washington, DC area. But maybe — just maybe — there might be a paid internship in a great place. (There are even some overseas listings.)
Give it a look!
