tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post5469570637887933886..comments2021-08-12T15:14:31.199-05:00Comments on Seeking joy in change: Licensing would kill journalismTed Schnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06338975463102889798noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-78737881867842462672011-09-28T23:06:50.149-05:002011-09-28T23:06:50.149-05:00Ahh Anonymous, my young Padawan, journalism around...Ahh Anonymous, my young Padawan, journalism around current trends does not revolve!<br /><br />In fact, most young journalists (I was one once) are lost when it comes to covering simple government meetings. Toss out the experienced journalists in favor of youth is a very bigoted viewpoint. I should know, because when embarked upon this career sometimes felt the same way. I believe the legal term is age discrimination.<br /><br />You need to look to experience in order to improve. It's calling seeking out a mentor, someone who can share with you the knowledge only experience can teach. I speak from experience, as I, too, once thought some experienced, veteran journalists were simply relics.<br /><br />As I matured as a writer and editor, I came to appreciate the polished writing style and the varied approaches some of the "old guys" took to their writing each day.<br /><br />Current trends are just one small part of journalism. Covering what's happening in the community, whether it's crime, a tax rate increase or education issues, requires experience, or at the very least guidance from someone who has that experience.<br /><br />Someday, after you hit 40 or 50 and get dumped from a job because your experience and dedication over the years has been rewarded with fairly decent pay, you may think back on what you wrote here and be humbled.Ted Schnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06338975463102889798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-28247203919403585902011-09-28T22:22:18.321-05:002011-09-28T22:22:18.321-05:00I agree with this position that journalists should...I agree with this position that journalists should not be licensed for 2 reasons. My main concern is getting the government involved. It would be unconstitutional to put regulations on journalism, therefore voiding the term "freedom of speech." From history, we can see that government regulation only adds salt to whatever wound they are trying to heal. The best way for anything to balance out is naturally, which is why we benefit most in a free-trade environment. In this environment, society consistently attempts to reach an equilibrium, where the demand and supply balance each other out. Price ceilings and price floors are what hinder equilibrium from happening. The same could be said of journalism, which brings me to reason 2. Having experienced, "veteran" writers could very well preserve the quality of writing but it would hinder the content, which is why we read articles in the first place. I think it's a lot harder for an older journalist to write about current trends and news, whereas a graduate student is able to write from living through these current trends. We would benefit more from a college student who is on the verge of graduation writing about how Netflix is splitting their services into 2 companies, rather than an older man writing about the same subject. The college student writes from experience and more than likely is the one who will actually be effected by these changes, whereas the older journalist is only writing from an analytical standpoint.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-27775516296951625622011-09-28T21:44:00.281-05:002011-09-28T21:44:00.281-05:00The problem with your argument, Cody, is that even...The problem with your argument, Cody, is that even if you could get around the costs and complications of licensing, it ignores the constitutional issue that should stop this discussion dead in its tracks. You cannot have a "license" without the weight of law to enforce compliance. That puts government in direct oversight of the public watchdog, which is unconscionable, not to mention unconstitutional. Congress is forbidden from making such a law.Ted Schnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06338975463102889798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-60554266390427259762011-09-28T21:29:04.746-05:002011-09-28T21:29:04.746-05:00Requiring a license for journalism would be benefi...Requiring a license for journalism would be beneficial in some instances. I think that to some extent it would weed out bad journalism, but the reality is that for all of the extra costs that it would take to create programs in order to institute the licensing it ultimately would not be worthwhile. There would still be bad work just as in other licensed professions. Although it could help, it doesn't require a license to instill a hard work ethic, creativity, and a love for journalism.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02348645312563751841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-56239021212499853722011-09-28T13:02:39.002-05:002011-09-28T13:02:39.002-05:00The beauty of journalism is the fact that it is fr...The beauty of journalism is the fact that it is free. Stripping away this freedom would be a tragic event in the world of journalism. I know that sometimes this so called freedom can be taken to full advantage and the limit is pushed or even exceeded. I think what Mr. Schnell says in the last paragraph sums up what needs to be done instead of licensing. This is a problem that can be solved by the veteran's in this craft and without the help of the governing body.Brendan Chambersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-62266668628835551002011-09-28T00:01:14.715-05:002011-09-28T00:01:14.715-05:00Licensing journalists is pointless. If we already ...Licensing journalists is pointless. If we already have a great system going, why upset it by making it harder to ordinary people to contribute to the media? I completely agree that it would be just "one more thing" the government has control of and is a blatant violation of our Freedom of the Press. Additionally, the point about how where this funding will come from raises a good question: WHY would the government want to push themselves even further into debt with such a silly thing? As Americans, we like our freedom and would appreciate it if we could keep it.Robyn Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14897037483780357689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-13946753207965184042011-09-27T23:00:00.641-05:002011-09-27T23:00:00.641-05:00I don't feel that journalists should be licens...I don't feel that journalists should be licensed and for 2 particular reason. The first would be that licensing won't stop bad journalism, just like it hasn't stop bad doctor practices, corrupt lawyers or any other occupation requiring a license. Also once we get the government involved then they began to compromise our amendment rights of free speech because they will began to start regulating what the media can put out.Kalvin Hilliardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04481857976746565027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-32998513070173630082011-09-27T00:28:41.896-05:002011-09-27T00:28:41.896-05:00I completely agree with this article. Having the ...I completely agree with this article. Having the government involved with overlooking journalism is wrong and dangerous. Journalism is the one thing we have that can really do a good job of keeping government in check and report to the public the truth of what is going on. If the media is compromised, then the government can do almost anything it wants. <br /><br />But I also think that licensing would be pointless. Sure, there are a lot of people writing or blogging today, reporting on all kinds of stuff, that aren't very good. They aren't "real" journalists. But one, they have the freedom to write what they want, and more importantly, if they aren't very good people won't read them. The best journalists don't need a license to prove their worth. Their writing will prove it. The market will work itself out. The best writers will always be the ones with the most readers.<br /><br />Licensing is pointless and potentially dangerous. I don't really see an upside.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08409125400472978319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-34248787973609771422011-09-26T08:52:08.925-05:002011-09-26T08:52:08.925-05:00I'm not certain that there is an adequate way ...I'm not certain that there is an adequate way of separating "citizen journalists" from journalism professionals other than plain common sense. Licensing through the government is an awful idea, however. I completely agree with the statement that "The press cannot be a watchdog overseeing a government that oversees it." Also, in regards to a panel or overall nationwide test, I feel as though it would be difficult to address this method without questioning how different this would be in various parts of the country. Short of getting the government involved, it seems very difficult to obtain an objective standardized test that would be equal in licencing all journalists. I also feel as though there is a distinct difference between journalism and "blogging." Not necessarily a difference in ethics (although I believe that may be a concern worth looking into) but also because the two are just different in their core. the ethics of journalists and loggers may be called into question, but I don;t believe this issue may be resolved through licensing.Kayla Durrettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4350172062816359483.post-55405137043110055812011-09-22T18:54:01.519-05:002011-09-22T18:54:01.519-05:00Mr. Schnell,
While I definitely find faults with ...Mr. Schnell, <br />While I definitely find faults with the lack of ethical standards present in "citizen journalism," I wholeheartedly agree with your stance on licensing journalists. If the government were to regulate this licensing, it would undoubtedly take away much of the freedom of speech journalists would have. Requiring journalists to obtain licenses would allow the overseeing bodies to limit the content those journalists were allowed to write about. The licenses would just be something the government could threaten to take away from people that did not make them look good. I think it is a terrible idea. In response to the alternative method of licensing (the idea of a nationwide test and review panels), I think the concerns you brought up are valid. It would be extremely difficult to regulate something like this. Not only would funding and lack of penalties cause it to flop, but the fact that different reviewers would be using different standards would make this type of a test extremely hard to validate. The only question left now is how to make sure journalists are staying ethical and I think your idea of trying to mentor new journalists is the only solution right now. Thank you for this blog...I really appreciate your concern to keep journalism going strong!<br />Thanks, <br />HaleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com