Story by Kaitlyn Christensen
When a new issue in the world arises, many use the media as a resource to understand what is going on. The media are how information gets circulated to people around the world.
On Oct. 28, a panel discussion was held at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the campus of the University of Utah about political reporting. This event was open to the public and gave the audience the opportunity to get insight from a panel with experience in government and journalism.
The three panelists included John Daley, a reporter for KSL; Susan Tolchin, a professor at George Mason University; and Matt Canham, a reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune. Each of the panelists was able to give his or her knowledge and input as to how the media is a valuable resource to its consumers.
“The media is the watch dog of the world,” Tolchin gave her thought as to why the media is needed. It is the media’s job to get any vital any information to the consumers.
“Citizen involvement is a plus, because we do it for the readers,” explained Daley as to why the consumers are the most valuable part of media.
“Readers have ways to point out mistakes, as a consumer it is their responsibility to point out errors because it becomes incorrect facts,” Canham explained how that he loves the feedback from his audience about his work.
“Who watches the media?” Tulchin questioned the credibility of the media, “Nobody is checking the facts. Anyone can write an opinion.”
When consumers of the media point out any mistakes made, it helps from continually putting out false information to the public.
The seminar gave great insight as to how helpful the media are and how they help the country. Those who attended the seminar found all information given very useful and interesting.
“As a political science student, this event was a great incite as to how the media helps the government. Sometimes the media can fall short and give information that may not seem as important, but I become more aware of our governments issues because of our media and their ability to report,” said Whitney Smith, a political science major at the University of Utah.
Katie Andrus, a journalism student at the University of Utah, gave her insight as to what she thought about the seminar.
“I like how they came from different backgrounds and had different perspectives on how journalism and the government work with each other to relay the information to US citizens,” she said.
Without the media, getting vital information circulated to the public would be completely impossible. The world of journalism has evolved so much over time. One can find information in more sources than just the newspaper.
”News journalism is very exciting; I hope media corrects our government,” said Daley about the evolution of the media and journalism in the world.
The media will continually remain to be a vital resource as the world progresses.