Journalism refers to the news or feature stories (light, entertainment stories) that are expressed

either in a descriptive way or concise pattern through different types of media. A journalist
reports news, which can be used in print, on television, aired on radio or even published on the
Internet. The main purpose of a journalist is to report news with accurate facts. However,
throughout the years, there have been different types of journalism developed that have given
different dimensions to the field of mass media. Read on to know more about the various types
of journalism.

HISTORY

The history of journalism can be told largely in terms of the convergence of modern forces of
politics, economics, technology, and culture. Although political and economic information
certainly existed, there was no journalism to speak of in the ancient or medieval worlds and
news of momentous events like wars, disasters and the death of kings was often disseminated
verbally through storytelling. In fact, the phrase modern journalism is largely redundant, since
there was no significant journalism before the political, economic, technological, cultural and
other changes which formed the modern world.
Politically, the rise of journalism, newspapers and public affairs reporting, accompanied the
rise of modern nation states, civil societies and republican and democratic forms of
government, beginning in the late eighteenth century. (Starr, 2001; Habermas, 19) Freedom of
the press was one of the most important civil liberties to arise during that period, and is usually
one of the first targets when autocratic and dictatorial governments arise.
Economically, newspapers, magazines, journals and all forms of broadcast and electronic
media were enabled by the growth of large bourgeois or middle class audiences and the spread
of wealth and literacy and the growth of both mass and niche markets for publications.
Technologically, journalism (especially in the United States, Britain and France) followed in
the wake of the development of moveable type and the printing press by Gutenberg around
1439. Printing and various forms of lithography were invented some time previously, probably
in China or Korea. Gutenberg's press technology (and the term, press) was largely modeled
after existing wine and olive presses. Broadsides were among the earliest products of print
journalism, and in the colonial U.S. were often limited to news of shipping, trade and
transportation.
Most important in facilitating modern newspaper journalism were the technologies of the
Mergenthaler linotype machine, the Hoe rotary printing press and the typewriter, telegraph and
telephone, all in the late 19th century. These technologies, combined with increasingly cheap
and available newsprint and train travel, and innovations in business organization enabled
entrepreneurs like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer to establish the largest mass
circulation daily newspapers of the time, with press runs in excess of a million copies.
The hegemony of mass circulation newspapers only lasted for a couple of decades, however.
Commercial radio became a reality in the late 1920s and by the late 1930's and 1940s, radio
news became a factor in journalism, as the iconic broadcast from the site of the Hindenburg
disaster in 1937 made clear. National radio network news and documentaries were produced by
ABC, NBC, CBS and the Mutual Radio Network in the U.S., the BBC in Great Britain, the
CBC in Canada and other similar national networks. However, the number of radio stations
and the popularity of music and entertainment programming often resulted in serious limits on
radio journalism, with many stations doing little more than "rip and read" news, read on the air
directly from news wire services.
In the 1950s, television journalism made its debut, in particular, with the coverage of the 1952
Presidential conventions and the Army McCarthy Hearings and NBC's Meet The Press first
aired. In the 1960s, news coverage was increasingly in color, and the battlefield reports from
Vietnam were said to have an impact on public support. The CBS News broadcast of 60
Minutes first aired, and Walter Cronkite was named the most trusted man in America. More
recently, local television news has spawned the "Eyewitness News" phenomenon, on-the-spot
location reporting that includes the use of helicopters in some local media markets. In the
1980's, the rise of cable television transmission led to the debut of CNN, the Fox News
Network and a host of similar journalistic ventures.
The explosive growth of the internet after 1985 has profoundly affected journalism. As A. J.
Liebling once observed, freedom of the press belongs primarily to those who own one, and
internet technology has made millions of people potential or actual journalists. Modern forces
of economics and technology have combined with political and economic changes to place
such freedom in an increasingly broad range of hands, and make press freedom almost
universally available in many countries.
TYPES OF JOURNALISM

Fashion journalism: Fashion journalism is all about articles or reports related to the fashion
world. Journalists are also known as fashion writers or fashion editors. The primary job is to
cover the latest in the fashion business or develop lifestyle articles.

News journalism: Here, the primary aim of the journalist is to report news in a straight-
forward manner that covers all the required facts. The style is direct with focus on the gist of
the story with other necessary points. The news style should be concise and precise. The facts
must be crosschecked which makes the news item as authentic as possible without any media
bias.

Celebrity journalism: As the name suggests, the journalist is connected to news and events
related to celebrities from the entertainment world and also includes celebrities from other
fields such as music, sports, dance, art, politics, etc.

Investigative journalism: This type of journalism is about unearthing facts and studying cases
that may require more efforts, which can take months or even years. Journalists who specialize
in investigative journalism create headlines with news that expose scandals.

Sports journalism: Here, journalists spend hours reporting on a particular sport event. A
journalist has to report the accurate facts and statistics related to that event. Interviews with
celebrity sport stars are yet one of the interesting features of sports journalism. Although
sports-lovers watch the live coverage thanks to the media, there are many people who still
enjoy reading or watching in-depth details about the event.

Citizen journalism: Here, it is not the professional journalists who are responsible for the
news reports. Any citizen can participate and report news to the media. He/she collects and
reports news to the media and participates voluntarily to offer help to the media. They bring to
notice issues that may have been missed by media houses.

Environmental journalism: There are many journalists who prefer to cover issues related to
the environment and its protection and conservation.

Business and finance journalism: Here, the journalist or reporter covers in-depth reports
about the latest in business, launch of products, stock markets etc.
ELEMENTS OF JOURNALISM

• Journalism's first obligation is to the truth.

• Its first loyalty is to the citizens.
• Its essence is the discipline of verification.
• Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.
• It must serve as an independent monitor of power.
• It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.
• It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.
• It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.
• Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.

OBJECTIVES

1. Recognize and appreciate the role of journalism in contemporary society and in their
personal lives.
2. Recognize and explore the ways in which print and broadcast media create and present
a message.
3. Recognize and create the various forms, conventions, and styles of journalistic writing.
4. Recognize the attributes of quality journalism and the legal, ethical, and moral issues
which confront the free press.
5. Develop the speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing, and representing skills
needed to create various print publications and broadcast productions.