Journalist

2009-05-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

A journalist (also called a newspaperman) is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoints that aren't biased.

Reporters are one type of journalist. They create reports as a profession for broadcast or publication in mass media such as newspapers, television, radio, magazines, documentary film, and the Internet. Reporters find sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and they are often expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good. A columnist is a journalist who writes pieces that appear regularly in newspapers or magazines.

Depending on the context, the term journalist also includes various types of editors and visual journalists, such as photographers, graphic artists, and page designers.

Journalists put the information in their own words, making it creative in their own way so it will catch the reader's or viewer's attention.

Ethics in journalism

ome journalists in the United States adhere to the standards and norms expressed in the Society of Professional Journalists ethical code. Foremost in the minds of most practicing journalists is the issue of maintaining credibility, "Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility."

Journalist prison census

According to the 2008 prison census by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the world's biggest jailers of journalists are:

People's Republic of China

Cuba

Burma

Eritrea

Uzbekistan

The Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists publish reports on press freedom and organize campaigns.