Date

5-2024

Document Type

Capstone Project (Open Access)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Department

Humanities & Communication

Major

Journalism

First Advisor

Lee Ritscher

Abstract

Traditionally, journalistic quality is determined by the integrity of a piece, along with its contribution to public knowledge. High quality, ethical journalism serves the purpose of holding those in power accountable and ensuring transparency in government actions through factual reporting. Objectivity is a highly emphasized element of American journalism because it allows the audience to form their own opinions and evaluate facts individually. However, as the distribution of media has changed with technological advancements, so have news writing trends. The theory of agenda setting, the concept that the media have the power to shift public opinions and perceptions of the news because they are the ones distributing information, ties into this conversation about news quality because as local news becomes more obsolete, issues that impact smaller or underrepresented communities are less likely to be covered adequately. In this research paper, I will evaluate journalistic quality in the digital age in relation to racial diversity in the newsroom. Diversity in the newsroom is crucial to ensure representation of various ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds, allowing for a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of society in media coverage. As large corporations dominate and local newspapers close, jobs in journalism have become scarce, and some publications have even resorted to lay-offs. These events in the media industry have directly impacted ethnic communities, ethnic journalists, and the quality of the news itself; from local to national newspapers. For a community to accurately be represented in the media, they must be included in media production. Diversity in the media leads to enhanced accuracy and fairness and pushes back against a system that has historically favored the voices and experiences of white males. Narrative journalism which considers subjective perspectives can be ethical if it is written with transparency and supports its claims with evidence.

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