Journalism vs. Entertainment

In modern media, questions of journalistic ethics can be bent or even ignored. Professional journalists have an obligation to provide objective coverage of a story to their readers free from bias AND personal opinion. The roles of journalist and performing artist are conflated in modern media. Such shows as “The Colbert Report” or “The O’Reilly Factor” both manipulate news headlines to make different statements about the news, not report the news itself. In effect, these “commentators” are artists, not journalists. The realm of artistic expression does not have any of the restrictions that new reporting does, and therefore, relieves the hosts of any ethical issues. The case of Juan Williams is not surprising, then; nor will it be the last. When a journalist, or a professional news analyst, appears to provide commentary on a headline, they are still under the role of ‘journalist,’ and must conform to ethical journalist standards. When a journalist appears on a purely entertainment show, they are recognized by the public watching that show as a journalist, despite their role reversal or practical function as a commentator in a “relaxed” setting. The public will hold journalists to an unfair standard, even on a program which may not have any standards at all.
The case revolving around Juan Williams is tragic, not because he was fired, but because it demonstrates that our society treats entertainers and journalists the same way. If his statements were taken in context, they would not have caused the controversy they had. As our class discussion revealed, there is little malice behind his statement. Loose lips sink ships, and unfortunately the boat went down for Juan Williams. NPR, whatever their reasoning behind his dismissal had been, fairly represented both aspects of his dismissal on their program, and The O’Reilly Factor provided a telling foil to NPR’s journalistic reporting on the event itself. Was it fair for NPR to fire him based on his statement the way they did? Was it wise for Williams, as a journalist, to appear on The O’Reilly Factor at all? Both of these questions have the same answer.
As a copy editor, I recognize that print material is a very different medium than the spoken word, and can therefore be manipulated to avoid unintentional mistakes such as Williams’. It is the responsibility of a copy editor to ensure that these crossed wires of journalism and entertainment are not represented in the (ideally) objective reporting of facts.