Jornal de Comunicação de Massa e Jornalismo

How Do We Teach Core News Values in the Digital Age? Professional Standards for Broadcast-Electronic Media Students

Abstract

Owens DA

The author addresses the issue of whether the fundamental journalistic elements: timeliness, proximity, prominence, consequence (impact), and human interest are still relevant. If so, how do journalism educators teach broadcast-electronic media students the core values of professional standards of news in this digital age? While all the traditional core tenets continue to have varying degrees of relevance in the broadcast news industry, the impact of digital (social) media on the news environment has generated unique levels of engagement both between consumers and media entities and among consumers themselves. However, by no means does this phenomenon suggest that news values are less important; rather, it indicates that any story can be reworked in order to engage consumers. Journalism educators must engage students in ways that minimize the seemingly intricate nature of digital media platforms, and strive to harness these tools so they become only secondary to the journalistic values that we want to in still in student practitioners as we prepare them to compete professionally in an increasingly multidimensional media environment.