Friday, April 30, 2010

Journalism as social Institution

Gillen and Gillen defines “a social institution is a functional configuration of culture pattern which processes certain permanence and which is intended to satisfy felt social needs”.
The major institution in the society include the family, education, work and economy, the political institution and religion and health care as well as mass media , organized sports and military. An institution can be seen as a sort of super-custom, a sort of mores, folkways and patterns of behavior that deals with major social interests, law, church and family. Within this time, it can be argued that the journalism have emerged as a social institution, fulfilling many of the functions that are no longer being served by traditional social institutions such as the family, church, and school. Space constraints prohibit a full consideration of the ways in which the journalism fulfills the functions of a social institution discussed above. However, much has been written about the impact of the media on the socialization process. Increasingly, people look to the media for direction with respect to values and rules of behavior. Indeed, media programs such as the James Bond films can be regarded as guidebooks, furnishing directions on the proper ways to behave (and the rewards that go with this kind of behavior). In that sense, media programs convey messages about success, as well as the best ways to get there. And despite sports commentator protestations, media figures have emerged as societal role models, epitomizing standards of success that their fans strive to emulate. The press; the media; the fourth state have long been accused of having power without responsibility. They are able to make and break careers, and frequently do: newspapers for e.g. boast about uncovering misdeeds and forcing politicians to resign. A slightly more measured view of this power is the role that journalism plays in developing public opinion. Journalism not only reports on events, it shapes them too: something which is perhaps most obvious in politics. The political interview is a showcase for both the politician and journalist with occasionally startling results. In any cases the role of journalist is to test the knowledge and debating skills of the interviewees, to shape the public perception of them as politicians and perhaps, to test their suitability for office. The shaping of public opinion is also key to another branch of journalism i.e. criticism. The role of the critics is to offer an informed opinion on their subjects and in order to do so they are expected to be experts in their own right. Within each field the most respected critics have a profound influence.