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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A JOURNALIST?
Journalists take a very particular approach to information: They bring the qualities of initiative, curiosity and persistence to finding out the most accurate and meaningful information they can for their audiences. Below are some especially good descriptions of those qualities.
The American Press Association lists a core set of principles that help to define good journalism. These include that journalism's "first obligation is to the truth," "its first loyalty is to citizens," and "its essence is a discipline of verification."
The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics is a standard bearer for the profession. You can click on any part of the code to get additional, related information and resources.
What is journalism for? When the Columbia Journalism Review asked journalists and scholars this question, editors received a range of replies from more than 35 people.
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Looking at award-winning journalism can inspire you—and teach you what professionals see as excellence. We’ve put national awards in the lists below, but also search to see if your state’s press association offers awards.
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The Edward R. Murrow Awards announced each May and August
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The Hillman Prize for Journalism announced each April
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The Online Journalism Awards announced each August
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The Pulitzer Prizes announced each spring
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The Scripps Howard Awards announced each October
And here are some that student journalists can earn:
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The Hearst Journalism Awards announced each June
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The SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards announced various dates*
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The Pacemaker announced in spring and fall, depending on the specific award*
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The CMA Pinnacle Awards announced each fall*
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The OJA Student Journalism Award announced each August
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The Student Press Freedom Awards announced each fall
*These sites were year-specific when we posted the links, so make sure you update when you’re looking for information.
Qualities of a good journalist
Each of the reporters below describes characteristics of journalists who have a fire in the belly—a sense of passion and engagement about their work.
Initiative
Alex Blumberg explains how he and the rest of NPR's Planet Money team decided to make a T-shirt. The reporters saw a T-shirt as "this great lens for looking at the global economy," because so many people in so many countries are involved in the process, he says.
Curiosity
Christina Samuels models curiosity as she talks about reporting on education. "First, you keep your eyes open," she says. Samuels also gives some good advice on questioning sources.
Persistence
NPR's Ari Shapiro hopped on a bicycle to make sure he'd be able to make a Capitol Hill interview on time. "I think everybody who has worked at NPR has a story like that," he says.
Movies! Journalism!
Watching mainstream movies about journalism, we’re definitely there for the entertainment. At the same time, we’re attentive to the way they portray journalism—journalists, watchdog, public duty and narrative, for example—because that may influence how audiences perceive the work that we do.
The collections below span genre, history and purpose—see what you think:
Freedom Forum’s top 25 “from the Heroic to the Dark”
Poynter’s list of their Top 25 “great journalism movies”
The Quill’s top 200
SPJ’s list “From A to Z”