Guide Note
Journalism refers to the profession of fact and information gathering and then transmitting this news to a wide audience. Although usually associated with and originally applied only to the written word, this transmission of information can now occur through a variety of media including newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television broadcasts, and, more recently, websites.
Journalists rely on the so-called "five Ws": Who, what, when, where, why and how, to retrieve and synthesize the information they need for mass consumption. Journalism is intended to provide merely a factual report without any analysis, interpretation of bias.
Journalists take many forms and report on a wide scope of subjects, from international to local issues, politics, health, education, sports, arts, technology, traffic, weather and entertainment.
Fast Facts
- Photojournalists include professional photographs in their reports
- Many journalists have a specific area or topic ("beat") on which they concentrate
- Most journalists work under strict deadlines
- After writing their articles, journalists usually submit them to an editor for approval
- The first regular newspaper was the Oxford Gazette, which was first published in 1665
- The Oxford Gazette became the London Gazette, which is still in publication
- Ancient Romans received news reports through a daily handwritten bulletin that was posted in the public square
- "Journalism" is derived from the French word "journal" which is taken from the Latin "diurnal," meaning "daily"
