THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEWS SOURCES AND JOURNALISTS
INTRODUCTION
Journalism is an essential discipline. This profession trains students with the different styles of capturing societal events, documenting the details into coherent presentations, and reporting outputs in the most effective and factual manner. Journalism gives birth to news writers and broadcast journalists who manage the challenging tasks of recording significant events and happenings around the world and then delivering the news to all the people. The immense responsibility of journalists to seize the essence of societal events and satisfy the people’s need for information gives crucial emphasis to factual broadcasting. Journalists must stick to facts and must be efficient in identifying possible sources of information that would make their news coverage realistic and meaningful to the audience. Hence, there is a need to establish effective and consistent relationship with various news sources from the different spheres of society. The kind of the relationship that exists between journalists and their sources dictate the quality of the information that they gather, the comprehensiveness of the news articles and reports that they prepare, and the credibility of the entire news coverage. It also symbolizes the degree of professionalism and commitment of the journalist to become an advocate of truth in the midst of a complex society.
THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEWS SOURCES AND JOURNALISTS
In the discipline of Journalism, a news source refers to an individual, a social group, a publication and other social documents that provide information for the journalists to complete their coverage of certain events. News sources come in various forms which include official records from formal organizations, publications or broadcast articles; statements of government officials or business gurus; social organizations and business corporations; witnesses of accidents, crimes and other societal events; and individuals who have direct participation with or are indirectly impacted by a news issue or happening (2007). Journalists and news sources depend on each other for the continuity of information regarding societal events. Journalism is an important aspect of societal life that shapes the perspectives of persons, groups and organisations regarding the world in which they live in. It also modifies or strengthens the points of views of individuals to enable them to become more aware of their decisions, behaviors and actions and become more expressive of their ideas and feelings (1998). Considering these extensive responsibilities to fulfill, journalists foster and sustain sufficient access to their sources to ensure that their articles and broadcasts are backed up by hard evidence. Likewise, sources need journalists in communicating their interests and the reality of the circumstances that they are in. Thus, these two entities establish a symbiotic relationship in order to guarantee that all the small details about a specific event is recorded and reported in its entire truthfulness (2006). An example of a symbiotic relationship between journalists and their sources is the case of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs are significant news sources in journalism. Leaders and employees in these organizations depend on journalism and news media to heighten the awareness of the people regarding their humanitarian activities and charitable causes as well as a means to entice the interest of possible financial donors. Journalists, on the other hand, value the contribution of NGOs in their pursuit of information and stories regarding disasters, social problems and human crises in order to deliver the facts to the population (2004). However, the inherent demands in journalism for objectivity and fairness put journalists in a vulnerable situation wherein they are prone to the influence of the power of the elite and the most advantaged characters in society (2003). There is a notion that news sources exercise greater power than the journalists in the relationship that exists between them (2006). Furthermore, Manning (2001) asserts that not all media sources acquire the same extent and level of relationship with journalists because less powerful sources struggle more to obtain their access to journalists and news media (p. 1). On the other hand, McQuail (1994) counters by saying that journalists have the power to select the most bona fide news sources and refuse to use statements or perspectives offered by less experienced sources. They are dictated by the professional code of ethics to exercise caution in maintaining intimate relationships with their sources. This means that journalists respect the perspectives of all news sources but they have the responsibility to analyse the credibility of these statements. Hence, journalists are obliged by the code of ethics governing the discipline to exercise skepticism without cynicism which means that if a news source presents information, the journalist must check its truthfulness first, before using it. The basic norms in journalism are to prevent close relationship with a few sources and always strive to use multiple sources for effective broadcasting (). Considering the abovementioned perspectives, the nature of the relationship between journalists and their news sources is a complex endeavor which revolves around the issues of who can effectively develop strategies to exercise greater power while securing the most benefit in the process.
(2001) reports that in journalism; news sources are of extreme importance. Journalism does not only report reality but more importantly, makes a social construction of it. This refers to the responsibility of journalists to develop diverse structures of what is going on in the outside world by collaborating with various entities and sources outside the news production room. If a certain source renders a relatively biased perspective, journalists attempt to consult the statements provided by other sources to balance the overall news report and justify the objectivity of the coverage (). News reports are usually completed by seeking the knowledge of sources through interviewing people or reviewing public documents. Basically, journalists and the entire news media collaborate with three kinds of sources: primary, secondary and “excluded” sources. Primary sources comprise of powerful politicians, chief executive officers and managers of established business organizations, talented professionals in their respective fields, police officers who directly oversee social order, and experts in various disciplines. These sources are considered primary because they have the advantage of establishing the agenda of the news report. The secondary sources include ordinary individuals who are influenced by newsworthy events and representatives of social movements and resistant civil groups. These sources contribute to the moral or emotional appeal of a news report, advocate social change and provide alternative approaches to a certain event or issue. The last classification of sources in journalism is the “excluded” sources or those people and entities that can add essential information to newsworthy happenings but are only consulted when they are actually affected by a certain event. These sources include the marginalised sectors of society; people who are stricken with poverty, homelessness or unemployment; and employees of large companies (1998). The significant contributions of the various news sources in crafting news report and news articles become an automatic advantage for sources as it provides them with great opportunities for putting forward their own agenda by controlling the amount of information that they give. It also enables news sources to somehow enjoy a leeway to advance their interests by influencing the flow of information. For example, reputable political elites may exert informal pressures to advance or hinder the circulation and transfer on information from them to the news media. Also, social groups that consider themselves as politically disadvantaged may utilise the information that they possess as a means of bargaining for journalists and news media to promote their agenda (). Furthermore, (1989) claims that politicians are the most deceptive news source in their manner of controlling information flow. Since mass media is important in political organisations, the public can see either the rise or demise of politicians through the media spotlight (). (1989) elaborates that as much as possible, politicians do not want the bad news to go public. Hence, they attempt to keep the news lifespan of negative stories at a minimum. Likewise, the government resort to various tactics of withholding information from journalists when it does not serve their interests (). One of the most common tactics of controlling information is by publicizing another story that is different from what journalists are actually trying to pursue. This can be done in a press conference wherein government officials can announce various issues, conceal the matters that are not beneficial for them if allowed publicity, and satisfy the journalists’ need for news. Press conferences restrains the journalists’ ability to question “censored” information due to the complexity of issues being raised and therefore, encourage them to report only those stories that are provided by government sources on the conference (1989).
The advantage given to news sources in journalism is considered a consequence of the “structural organisation” of news media and the overall mass media as a system. News publishers, editors and journalists abide by a systematic process that affirms authority and discipline. The media’s structural organisation encourages journalists to practice over-dependence on authoritative sources or those people who are in a specific authoritative position or are deemed more knowledgeable on certain issues than regular people. For instance, journalists seek the opinion of police officers for stories on crime and violence; they consult the expertise of lawyers and court officials on legal matters and legal news; and on issues of governance, they rely on politicians and government officials (1978). (1989) agrees by saying that disciplinary measures in journalism which emphasise the ability to meet deadlines put journalists in a situation wherein they have to struggle to get the best news stories from sources that can provide the largest volume of information in the most convenient time possible and with consideration of their experience, reputation and reliability. Powerful people like politicians and government officials, and reputable organisations are usually the most logical choice for news sources. The realities associated with credibility and convenience of sources pave the way for journalists and authoritative people or organisations to establish a relationship where journalists can get their needs for news production as long as influential people or organisations can persuade journalists to design news stories that are not only factual but also beneficial for their own agendas to be communicated to the public (). (1978) views the so-called “symbiotic” relationship between journalists and sources as a framework that encourages journalists to be in a subordinate status. Their goal of impartiality becomes their rationale for pursuing media information and statements that are founded on the authoritative and objective perspectives of accredited news sources which are mostly important people who hold positions and powerful organisations (). Moreover, (2001) claim that since famous politicians, government officials and powerful organisations have their interests to protect and power to do so, they are often attempting to manipulate journalists. These people attempt to limit the trust that they reserve for journalists and members of the mass media because they knew that the media is also capable of destroying them when valuable information are leaked to journalists. Therefore, a manipulative relationship is initiated by powerful news sources to protect themselves from the journalists’ power to alter public perception. If these influential sources know that the journalists would discredit or devastate them through the kind of information that they are asking, they would not divulge all the essential details ().
Another characteristic that reflects the kind of relationship between journalists and news sources is the unequal access of the different sources with the news media. This fact is again a result of the structural organisation of mass media. Due to the importance given to instant and credible sources, powerful individuals and influential organisations appear as the sources most frequently used (1992). (1998) cites that 75 percent of information that shapes most news stories comes from politicians, government officials and organized institutions (). Other entities rarely appear as news sources such as women especially in news stories of network televisions. Another study revealed that representatives of civil rights, human rights, trade unions and labor groups are under-represented as news sources. Furthermore, white males from elite institutions and organisations are found to be most frequent news sources as well (1992). (1994) add that a new important news source in the contemporary world are the experts which are competent media analysts, commentators and academic experts. These people are proven to have great impact on public opinion due to the variety and depth of their perspectives on social events. They usually provide objective evaluation of societal issues and hardly create challenging or provocative statements. However, these experts are again representative of the elite since these are people who have greater degree of access to social resources such as education and training (). (2001) explains that the unequal access of various news sources to the news media is a result of the innate requirement in journalism to only select the sources that they are comfortable with. These sources must be experienced in the field of consistent information dissemination so that journalists would not exert great amount of persuasive and convincing efforts. Furthermore, these sources must be cognizant of the fact that there is a need to for the public to know the real occurrences in the real world. All these attributes are typical of government officials, politicians and members of successful corporations. Government officials have the duty to inform the people of the level of social order, extent of economic progress and results of social policy implementation. Politicians, on the other hand, need journalists to convey their propaganda and achievements to the public to express their worth and ensure that they remain in the position that they earned from people’s votes. Meanwhile, large corporations maintain their credibility by being transparent of their corporate endeavors, financial status, performance, and impact on various stakeholders. Finally, news media and journalists have the duty to capture all the occurrences in society in the most efficient and realistic manner in order to earn the respect of the public. In short, news sources who are provided with greater access by journalists and news media for their services are the ones that have complementary goals with them. And this goal is to provide the public the most coherent and factual presentation of the realities of the outside world ().
The final characteristic of the nature of the relationship that exists between journalists and news sources is the presence of a professional code of ethics that govern journalists’ practice of selecting and respecting news sources. According to (1994) news media and the role of journalists do not only fulfill the obligations of mirroring and influencing the actions, decisions, behaviors and lives of people, groups, communities and the larger society but they also stimulate the minds and consciences of people in order to alter their frame of thinking. Journalists educate and assist people to acquire a clearer understanding of numerous social phenomena. They have, therefore, moral and ethical obligations to fulfill. Hence, there is a presence of ethical standards that govern the operations of news media and responsibilities of journalists. Without these standards, journalists are deprived of the opportunities for effective public service and may become possible threats to the integrity of the society (). Watson (1998) claims that ethical guidelines in journalism also govern the relationship between journalists and news sources. The goal of effective and truthful public service obliges journalists to select information from sources based on a set of standards of newsworthiness. Accordingly, they have the power to accept or reject information from news sources. News sources should suffice certain criteria to make their information marketable and worthy of the attention of the journalist. These criteria typically include frequency, scope, familiarity, predictability, presence of the element of surprise, association with previous stories, composition, eliteness of source, exemplification and negativity. The absence of one or all of the above-mentioned attributes of both the news story and the news source risks the story’s chance of getting into the newspapers, television and other forms of mass media ().
In addition, journalists are basically independent from their news sources. Although they collaborate with them for additional information and greater evidence, news sources do not dictate what happen inside the news production room and eventually in the news reports. This power gives journalists a chance to actively pursue news of “deviance and control.” Deviance and control in journalism refer to the innate tendency of journalists to pursue unappealing news. They can craft factual stories about the conduct of certain people and organisations no matter if its negative or positive as well as communicate moral judgments on the actions of these entities based on the information that they gather (). (2002) explain this by saying that the symbiotic relationship between journalism and news sources is also one of supply and demand. News sources mostly provide essential information only to journalists that are deemed instrumental to pursuing their interests and giving factual reports. If one journalist fails to do so, the source knows that other journalists would be interested since journalists compete for continuous access to authoritative sources (p. 1). Similarly, journalists can also abandon their sources to look for other sources of information if they think that the kind of information that is presented to them is insufficient (1989). To guarantee that they are not disadvantaged in the relationship, journalists consistently attempt to make greater amount of information come up into the discussion with sources so that sources cannot get away from providing the complete details. Another way of reversing the manipulation of news sources is making them understand that since the journalist is doing the story, he or she has the power and control of what should be incorporated in it. The journalist displays firmness in communicating that the news story will be prepared and reported whether the news source totally wants to be a part of it or chooses to conceal some information. And since most powerful sources do not want their perspective to be overlooked or left out, they can be persuaded by journalists to comply with the required set of information that the news story needs. The symbiotic relationship between journalists and news sources is therefore a venue for exchange of favors and constant pursuit of who will be in charge while fulfilling the purpose of informing the public about social reality (2002).
HOW THE RELATIONSHIP INFLUENCES THE SHAPE OF NEWS COVERAGE
The emphasis on eliteness and authoritativeness of news sources in journalism is a crucial topic of debates among analysts who question the comprehensiveness and diversity of the perspectives that make up the news stories. Over-reliance of journalists on authority in journalism which is a consequence of the structured organisation in news media constantly yields news stories that represent and create the images of “authorised knowers” and reflect their “authoritative version” of the news issue (1989). Elite people and organisations assume the position of being the ultimate definers of the news while the media and journalists are lowered to secondary definers (1978) (2001) and (1978) contend that the structured organisation in mass media creates the unequal access to news media players among news sources since only the more powerful have greater chances of getting their side of the story heard by the public (). Ultimately, news coverage of societal events when shadowed by the authority of elite become a venue for powerful persons and organisations to promote their personal propaganda that in turn influence how the people view the realities of the social world. It also enables journalists to become highly instrumental in translating individual perspectives and knowledge into the public’s parlance and frame of reference as well as transforming official point of views into a public matter (1998). (1992) agrees by saying that important names and personalities make news not only because they know more than lesser names but also because they usually do what concerns more people. Sources become newsworthy as they exercise more power and affect more people with their actions and decisions. They also function as important architects of social arrangements as the news media and most journalists revere them ().
(2002) claim that the prominence of government officials and documents as a news source gives birth to two kinds of investigative reporting which are reporting on investigations and interpretative journalism. These two kinds of reporting consider the journalist’s exercise of power as well as his or her ability to identify the most credible sources. Firstly, when journalists interview government officials on certain issues, they are able to gather additional information from actual statements of these officials or existing documentations of previous or current investigations. What the journalists actually do is capture the essence of the information from the official’s mouth and government documents; arrange it in a manner that abides by the guidelines of the editors, news media company and professional code of ethics governing the practice; and finally derive a sort of “conclusion” as to the real meaning of the story. Thus, the journalist does not really produce real news coverage. He or she is merely reporting on investigations done by government offices and agencies. Hence, journalists who consistently pursue elite news sources like the government are hindered from going beyond the confines of the sometimes conservative statements of government officials and coded documents to come up with news stories and coverage that are products of the journalists’ ability to incorporate personal analysis with existing body of knowledge on a certain social event. Secondly, a more desirable form of investigative reporting in mass media and journalism is interpretative journalism. In this approach the journalist coordinates with government officials, politicians, experts and officers of respectable organisations for evidence-based information and then proceeds to analysing this information to develop a presentation that consolidates various perspectives, integrates personal judgment as to the relationship between the different statements and the overall context of the social event being investigated, and eventually make the public understand the nature of the issue and its impact on them ().
In addition, (1994) posit that over-dependence of journalists on politicians for news sources create a public perception that media and politics have a close relationship that affects the quality of reporting that journalists give to the people. A study by the same authors revealed that majority of the respondents believe that the media fails in its performance as a public mechanism that helps people understand societal issues. Approximately 75.8 percent of the respondents thinks that the primary concern of the press and journalists is to seek and report significant information on public issues while around 18 percent perceives that the ultimate goal of journalists should be to give the public what they need and ask for. Specifically, the respondents in the study state that journalists are greatly interested on political matters and are highly influenced by the opinions of politicians which make them focus more on sensationalism rather than issue; make them political insiders who fail to report fairly; limit their understanding of the real issues confronting the society; encourage them to disregard the tastes and preferences of the public especially those in the lower strata of the society; and make them vulnerable to conspiracy with politicians
Looking on the positive side, even if journalists are greatly influenced by the opinions of authoritative news sources, they are still instrumental in becoming the voice of democracy and advocates of truth. This is possible if journalists are able to identify the most credible sources and maintain a good relationship with them. Abiding by the code of ethics to report only the truth based on what the evidence from the source says and coupled with personal analysis can also help to achieve effective news coverage. The key is for journalists to become brave enough to report and defend the information that would suffice the public’s need no matter who or what the source is. Journalists who communicate what the learned and experts say, shadowed by personal evaluation of the functionality of this information to the public would be able to create a comprehensive and realistic “public classroom” wherein citizens can find their own voices while hearing the voices of others as well (1997).
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