Rules a Journalist Should Follow

As a journalist, it is your responsibility to make honorable, intelligent decisions regarding a story. Following ethical guidelines will assist you in creating a valid story and help avoid social disagreement.

Controlling objectivity is one rule a journalist should follow. Objectivity requires that the journalist concentrate only on observable facts and avoid concerniing their opinions into news reports.

Fairness is also a rule that should not go unnoticed. The purpose of fairness is to make sure all angles of the story are being covered. This tells the journalist to look at different viewpoints and to be willing to listen to those who disagree.

Another important rule to follow is transparency. This rule refers to the jouralists' ability to be open to bias, how they get information and how they go about making decisions and choosing stories. This makes the job of the journalist easier and more open to diverse situations.

A journalists most important rule to follow is libel. A writer needs to be able to identify the difference between what material is justified and what is not.

With these few rules in mind, the creation of a news story can be simple and still be strongly affective.

Snap Shot

Photography has many different aspects. The lighting, eye level and position can make all the difference in a single photograph. A mug-shot is a simple type of picture. It’s the image of just a person’s face.
A still shot is another form of photography. This is used in feature writing and editorials. This photograph is good when accompanying a story that is directed towards one main item or event. Be sure to change your position frequently. Eye level can be boring. Try taking the image from ground level or raise yourself higher than the object and take it from a higher view. This gives the photograph variety.
The news shot is a popular form of photography used in feature writing. It is good for conveying action and adding depth into the news story. Use the rule of thirds when focusing on a particular person or object. This gives the photograph character and variety.
Delta Sigma Phi fraternity of Towson University raised money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by see-sawing outside the University Union for 48 hours. Andy Oster, a junior and economics major and Andrew Pearlstein, junior and business major bundled up and raised money for testicular cancer.
“We try to get everyone together,” said Oster.