Reply must be at least 200-300 words and at least 2 citations from sources such as your textbook, peer-reviewed journal articles, and the Bible. The thread and replies must follow current APA format.
Maxfield, M. G., & Babbie, E. R. (2018). Research methods for criminal justice and criminology (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. ISBN: 9781337091824.
*Tracey**
What if you were a professional journalist? Do you think your chief goals would be the same as that of a social scientist? Should they be the same? Why or why not?
When it comes to sociology and journalism, both tend to focus on the study of society, wherein reports or stories are written based on the discovery of information. However, journalism is about news and social issues, while sociology is the study of growth, formation, and behaviors of human society. Journalists and social scientists have to be skilled in written communication to convey the needs and wants of their targeted audience. These professions require a set of methodologies when obtaining information. According to Gans (2018), journalists and sociologists gain data through investigation, fieldwork, and interviewing marginalized populations. Working in such disciplines, one must strive to be accurate to avoid plagiarism or any other violations, which are serious offenses. There should be no bias, personal values, and opinions that must be left out of their studies. It would appear that journalists and social scientists have similar goals as they share a passion when it to questioning assumptions and prejudice. They are trained individuals in uncovering hidden narratives while seeking a more in-depth understanding.
Furthermore, both professions are under the eye of the public, as “bias” and “fake news” is real and rampant among some journalist and researchers. Egelhofer & Lecheler (2019), suggest fake news as a two-dimensional phenomenon. It is defined as fake news genre, the deliberate creation of pseudo-journalistic disinformation. Whereas, fake news labels are the political instrumentalization of the term to delegitimize the news media. They further suggested that such a phenomenon has three characteristics that make it fake. Being low in facticity, making false connections, and misleading or inaccurate content is one example, while the journalist format comes into question regarding the structural material. While the final characteristic looks into the intention to deceive people through politics, financially, or to provoke a reaction.
Despite the shared commonality of the two professions, there is an array of differences to consider. The leading journalist’s goal is to report to the public while paying attention to the last news about the weather, government, politics, crimes, and violence in society. It is often a rarity to see good things that happen within the community or world being reported. Also, a journalist must be ready to publish events and actions on daily and sometimes 24/7. Meanwhile, a sociologist work within a disciplinary framework with their colleagues and student, as they study or monitor the components of society. A sociologist can research anything from the past, present, and suggest the future in some theory because they use research topics. Such topics are based on personal interest, the demands of the field of study, or what funders support or want to be studied.
In closing, sociologists may need a journalist more than someone in journalism needs a social scientist because the media can be used to give more visibility to the discipline of social science. Having greater visibility could further assist sociological research by gaining research funds as well as support from the public and politicians. The Bible speaks of helping one another in Hebrews 13:16 (NIV), it reads “and do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
References
Egelhofer, J., & Lecheler, S. (2019). Fake news as a two-dimensional phenomenon: a framework and research agenda. Annals of The International Communication Association, 43(2), 97-116. doi: 10.1080/23808985.2019.1602782
Gans, H. (2017). Sociology and Journalism: A Comparative Analysis. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 47(1), 3-10. doi: 10.1177/0094306117744794
