The Responsibility Of Denis Mcquail's Journalism And Society

As a journalist myself, it is important that I understand what my roles are to the public and how the public perceives me. Currently, I am employed by KWWL, a news station in Waterloo, Iowa, as a multi-media journalist. Though I have not started my job yet, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my journalistic skills. I feel that one very important skill a journalist needs to have is the knowledge of how society is affected by the news they are given. Denis McQuail’s book, Journalism and Society, breaks down the true meaning of journalism, what responsibility journalists have to the society and problems that can arouse. McQuail’s book was not only an interesting read, it has also made me look at my career path and ask myself, what can I do to assure the public is fully informed and trust me?

McQuail’s main goal is to inform the reader about the claims that society has about the goals, rights, duties and responsibilities of journalists. The author is very detailed about describing what the society thinks in his nine-chapter book. He initially informs

The author writes that journalists have legal and regulatory obligations, duties from the occupational role they have, promises of service and level of quality, causal responsibility for consequences, moral responsibility and the responsibility as a professional (McQuail, 29). The press is very valuable to society and people need to know they can trust the information that the news organizations produce. McQuail writes, “Journalism is not a single or simple activity, in itself not easy to define and the same difficulty arise in dealing with the meaning of ‘responsibility’” (McQuail, 28). The author hit the nail on the head. The act of reporting and being a journalist is a complicated process changing everyday, it is almost impossible to include every responsibility journalists have to the