First Loyalty to the Citizens

"Journalism's first loyalty is to citizens," The Elements of Journalism states.

But in this world of online newspapers and current financial scare, the biggest factor in how much a news executive gets paid at the end of the year is not the quality of their work. It's how much profit their companies made (Elements 51).

Thus the business side of journalism begins to make the calls. Corners are cut, jobs are lost, less (or no) attention is paid to "less important" news.

So who do journalists work for? Where is their first loyalty?

For Nick Clooney, former newscaster, the answer is simple: "I always worked for the people who turned on the television set. Always. Whenever I was having a discussion with a general manager or a member of the board of directors, my bottom line was always, 'I don't work for you. You're paying my check, and I'm very pleased. But the truth of the matter is, I don't work for you, and if it comes down to a question of loyalty, my loyalty will be to the person who turns on the television set..." (Elements 53)

There's a common misconception that journalists must either sacrifice some quality to survive and emphasize business in their work, or sacrifice substantial profits in order to maintain their quality. There is evidence to suggest this is not true! Consider the following passages from Elements:

"By 2005, the problems on the financial side seemed to worsen as readers began to move online. The circulation losses accelerated, and the industry began to see significant job losses again- this time not attributable to economic cycles but wholly to industry fundamentals. The companies that fared best were those that had taken a slower, more long-term approach, including fewer cuts and more newsroom investment. But by then, for companies that had not, time had run out. Investors in Knight Ridder, a company that had been among the most aggressive about cost cutting, were still not satisfied and forced the company up for sale. The buyer, the McClatchy Company, was one of the more long-term, investment-oriented rivals." (67)

"[McClatchy's] president and CEO believes that quality journalism is the cornerstone of the enterprise. In a speech...Pruitt (Gary Pruitt, CEO) added, 'Our focus on journalistic quality and continuous improvement certainly supports our strong performance in circulation.' To that point, the McClatchy papers had grown in circulation steadily for twenty years." (69)

The moral of the story? Business and quality journalism both can exist in a successful paper. Kovach and Rosenstiel, in Elements, identify five characteristics of a newspaper where the relationship between news and business is clearly defined, with emphasis on quality journalism: 1) Owner/corporation must be committed to citizens first, 2) Business managers must also put citizens first, 3) Set and communicate clear standards in the company/ make sure businesspeople and newspeople can understand and appreciate each other's roles, at least on certain levels, 4) Give journalists final say over news and 5) Communicate clear standards to the public (70).