Journalism is a profession that has changed a lot over the years, especially with the development of new technologies.
Journalism is a concept that is based on the collection and analysis (whether written, oral, visual or graphic) of information , in any of its forms, presentations and varieties. The notion also describes the academic training and career of someone who wants to become a journalist.
In other words, journalism is a professional work that focuses on the collection, synthesis, processing and publication of current data . To fulfill their mission, the journalist or communicator must appeal to credible sources or take advantage of their own knowledge .
Its origins
According to historians, the first newspaper was the "Acta diurna" that Julius Caesar placed in the Roman forum in the 1st century BC .
Already in the Middle Ages , written sheets with economic and commercial news were distributed in bourgeois cities, while in Venice sheets were sold for the price of a gazette (the currency used in said city in the 16th century), so many contemporary newspapers adopted that name.
Different types of journalism
Although the basis of the journalistic plane is the news , it also contemplates other elements that can be genres, as happens with the chronicle , the interview , the opinion and the report . Therefore, journalism can have an informative profile, be interpretive or exploit the field of opinion , to name a few examples.
The different media , such as newspapers, television, radio or the Internet , mean that journalism can be graphic, audiovisual, radio or digital.
Television journalism usually has a massive reach.
Diversity of topics
However, this classification of journalism cannot only be made based on the medium it uses. There are also many other equally important ones, highlighting, for example, the one that establishes a typology based on the thematic range on which it focuses and develops.
In this way, we can talk about political, social, economic, cultural, scientific, environmental, sports or war journalism, among many others. Starting from this classification we can establish that there are media (newspapers, magazines, television programs...) that are specialized in one of those in particular. However, there are also others that manage to combine the various types, such as the case of news programs where we can access information on a wide variety of topics.
Journalism as the fourth estate
Given the strong influence that journalism has on society , it is often known as the fourth estate . On the other hand, in an attempt to guarantee the ethical development of the profession, there are professional colleges and associations that regulate the activity.
The role played by journalism and the journalist in particular, the power they also have, is vital in society because through them the ordinary citizen is able to stay up to date with everything that happens not only in their most direct environment but also in your country or in the world. It is the way to not close your eyes to problems and to learn the different social realities that exist.
For this vital work, there are various awards that attempt to reward the great work and effort made by these professionals. Among the most important recognitions are the Pulitzer Prizes, which are awarded annually in the United States and which attempt to praise the quality of the best informative reports, investigative reports, feature articles or chronicles.