Original scientific paper
The Crisis of Journalism as the Crisis of Ethics: Who is the Journalistic Subject?
Melita Poler Kovačić
Abstract
Trends in the development of journalism indicate the theoretical and practical level
of the identity crisis of contemporary journalism. We note that the key elements of the
profession, especially its autonomy and ethics, are in crisis. Our thesis is that the crisis
of journalism is, first of all, the crisis of the journalist as a subject. In the “normative”
model of quality journalism, the journalist takes the place of the (professionally competent)
source of the communication process: he is a subject and is supposed to have
control over the fundamental processes in media reality. But the practice of the journalistic
discourse reveals that the journalist is losing his place as a subject in all stages
of the communication process. His role is taken over by those who possess the economic
power and/or political authority (multinational corporations, advertisers, politicians,
public relations services etc.). The crisis of journalistic ethics is also discussed
in the light of postmodernity: the relativistic, pragmatistic, and Machiavellian approaches
to journalism have been advanced. The subject is disappearing, as is also the
journalist's main instrument – the question: a journalist is not a subject and he is not
asking journalistic questions. There is no question and no answer. There is no responsibility
and ethics is in crisis. The crisis of the subject is the crisis of personality fulfilment,
the crisis of the journalist as a person.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
23362
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2001.
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