With great power comes great responsibility

      One of the main reasons that the Revolutionary War took place was because the colonies were tired of being taxed and having no say in the parliament in England. Thus when this country was founded the founders took special consideration to ensure that this would not happen again. One of the ways that ensured the citizens their rights was the document termed the Bill of Rights. This bill protected the population of the United States and ensured that the rights pertained therein could never be taken away.

After this took place newspapers popped up everywhere reporting the happenings in the government. This ensured that the United States government would not become what the parliament was in England. By keeping a watch on Washington the press then became the unofficial “Fourth Estate” of the government. However, with this title it was not long for the press to become an immense political and social power. This power was derived from the “fact that the press can be used to shape societies while imparting news of note and commentary of interest.” ( http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-fourth-estate.htm )

However, with any “power” there comes certain responsibilities. Because the press plays such an important role in society it could be easy for the press to misconstrue information and lead the public to believe something entirely false. Thus journalists have to decide a moral code by which they live and report by. Also, journalists are under a microscope and need to make sure that they are reporting both accurately and willing to do everything they can to write a meaningful, well-founded story. It is very easy to see the faults of journalism because it is available to the world. This article points out five things that are seen as continually wrong in journalism: http://www.prmoment.com/315/five-things-prs-hate-about-journalists.aspx As I read this I was saddened because of the decrease in trust which is occurring among the general public. If this trend is going to stop it is important the we as journalists strive to do the best that we can in every aspect of reporting.

      One big issue that this distrust in journalism has created is that many people are unwilling to go on the record in stories. This has created a huge controversy as to whether or not journalists should be allowed to keep their sources confidential. On one side it is “absurd” that journalists should be allowed to keep their sources confidential, especially when it pertains to the safety of others in our communities. http://www.mwilliams.info/archive/2004/09/journalist-confidentiality.php The other side of the coin is the argument that sources have a right to privacy. Despite both of these arguments it is important for journalists to follow leads when they come their way and use correct information in all of their reporting. There was an article I read once that said the more sources you have the more credible your piece is and the less inclined you will be to make up things in your stories. This is of particular importance especially because we are known as the “Fourth Estate.”