Hello young person,
If you are a typical representative of your age group, you are most likely to get new information about the world on TikTok. At least, this was the case in a study that I read. I’m not on TikTok. Still, I can guess why it’s become the number one news source for your age group.”
We are living in a world where there are more pictures, videos, texts, information and stories than anyone can see. TikTok is designed to learn what you’re interested in and to fill your phone’s screen with endless videos that are of particular interest to you. It’s one way of controlling information overload: letting a computer track your behaviour and decide what you want to see.
However, I would like to remind you of another way. Because someone else is thinking things for you and thinking about what you would be interested in and what else you should know.
Let’s try it out. Open a media website or mobile application.
There, you will also find dozens of articles on different topics. I guess some are of interest to you, some are not. But maybe some are a surprise to you: you come across something you had never heard of. Or you discover an opinion or a way of looking at the world that is new to you. You may not agree, but you learn something you didn’t know before.
Have you ever wondered where the topics for all these articles come from? Each one has been created by one or more journalists, but they don’t come up with just anything. It is the job of journalists to follow the world around them and pick up topics from it. They meet people, read releases from authorities and companies, statistics, or social media, and attend events. Sometimes people contact editorial teams directly and give tips about something interesting.
However, no tips automatically become news. The editorial teams consider which topics should be communicated to the public. Let’s talk about news criteria. Is the topic current, unusual, surprising or interesting? And is it important for your own audience? It might not make sense for a news site for cyclists to be writing about the production of electric cars in China. On the other hand, it would make sense for a car magazine to do so.
It is the duty of a journalist to report matters impartially and truthfully. Not lying is not enough. We also need to find out what is most important in the matter and what is less important. It is necessary to think about what perspectives are related to the topic. Everyone’s views should be heard so that the matter is dealt with equally and fairly. And where to get the information that is needed and how to make sure it’s correct. And when you can’t include everything, what things can be omitted so that the most important thing is still communicated.
You don’t need to know all the stages of a journalist’s work. The whole idea is that the journalist does the work for you. They do not think about what is important to them, but what is important to their audience. This principle is so important that when journalists created the Journalist’s Guidelines, which are the rules for their own activities, it was the first one to be written down: A journalist is primarily responsible to the public. The public has the right to know what is happening in society.
Every stage of a journalist’s work takes time and effort. This is why high-quality journalism is not created for free. Bumping into a paywall or seeing ads at the start of an interesting video can be annoying, but they exist for a reason. Someone has done the work for you. In return, you will receive reliable information and an understanding of the world around you.
I don’t know how the world will change during your lifetime. But I am sure that there will continue to be demand for reliable information. Perhaps some of you will one day want to take on the challenge and start working for the public – with journalism.
With kind regards,
Tuomas Pulsa
journalist, journalism teacher, former young person