The Role Journalism Plays in Society

A journalists role in society is to be a watch dog for society, keeping the public informed about the world. It is the duty of a journalist to remain impartial when presenting an article, allowing the readers to form their own opinions. A journalist works to uphold democratic order by ensuring that the public is adequately informed on events that will govern the way our society operates, such as elections, as political candidates will often attempt to besmirch their opposition via propaganda and often untruthful reports, whereas a journalist aught to remain impartial and present the facts as they are. Were a journalist to not follow a moral code of ethics for reporting, then they would produce biased or untruthful accounts, which may mislead the public's opinions on what has been reported on, going against the very purpose of a journalist.

The code of ethics that rules the journalist profession means that regardless of the outcome, a journalist must report the truth, reporting independently rather than under influence of political or commercial influence. This enables the public to better govern their own lives and aid in the direction society takes as whole.

There are now many platforms for both professional journalists and amateur journalists to share their work, and as such, there are now many more articles being released on a daily basis. This has led to some members of the public questioning the credibility of journalists and the work they produce. This endangers the role a journalist plays on society as without a firm belief that it is a journalists duty to serve the public, then whatever a journalist publishes may be dismissed the public or whomever the article may be directly opposing.

As such it should also be the duty of every journalist to adhere strictly to a code of ethics, and remain unswayed by political or commercial gain, not only for the public, but for the very profession of journalism itself