Journalist

Vladimir Putin and Tarja Halonen with journalists in Tsárskoye Seló, 2002.

A journalist is a person who is professionally dedicated to journalism, in any of its forms, whether in the written press, photographic documentation, radio, television or digital media. His work consists of investigating and discovering topics of public interest, contrasting them, synthesizing them, ranking them and publishing them.

Based on reliable and verifiable journalistic sources, it prepares its articles, which can take various forms for dissemination: oral, written, visual. In general, he is considered a good journalist who gets relevant, brief and accurate information in the shortest possible time.

There are several principles that guide the work of the journalist, of which the main ones are respect for the truth and rigor in the search for reliable and verifiable information. He is governed by strict ethical standards and other established deontological values (professionalism), always considering Human Rights as the guiding agent.

With the digital revolution, three types of journalism have emerged: traditional journalism, participatory journalism seen in the so-called web 2.0, where citizens create their own distribution channels such as the blog— and citizen journalism, which is used by the traditional media that request citizens to share with the media news that occurs in their environment with audio, photo or video reports.

History

In the early 19th century, a journalist was someone who wrote for periodicals, but since the XX, the term came to be applied to many other trades linked to the search for information and news of interest, and its dissemination through the media written or audiovisual.^{[citation required]}

Types

Alaska Channel 2 journalist.

Environmental journalist

He is in charge of issues related to man and his natural environment. He understands from information referring to agriculture, livestock, meteorology, to social, economic, political aspects, of what has to do with the environment. Ecological research and dissemination to preserve the planet.^{[citation needed]}

Digital journalist

It is one whose main medium for the investigation, elaboration and, above all, the dissemination of information is cyberspace, with the Internet as the main exponent. Its function is to make complex information simplified and understandable by providing it with hyperlinks and multimedia resources for a better understanding of the user.^{[citation required]}

Science journalist

Science journalism is the specification of the journalistic profession in the facts related to science, technology, innovation, health, environment, information technology, archaeology, astronomy, space exploration and other research activities. For some it is different from popular science, although there is certainly a debate regarding the definition of both terms.

Risks linked to journalism

There are risks linked to the profession, this risk is born in the vocation for truth and freedom. Journalists throughout history have been victims of persecution, murder, injury, and kidnapping. threats, insults, other various types of attacks.

The CIAP (Investigative Commission of Attacks on Felap Journalists), led by the journalist Ernesto Carmona, is one of the organizations that investigates, disseminates and records this type of abuse of journalists and other press professionals in America Latina. In January 2013, it published the background of the 45 journalists murdered in Latin America and the Caribbean during 2012.

According to the Inter-American Press Association (SIP), of the fourteen journalists murdered in the first half of 2018, four are from Mexico, two from Brazil, two from Guatemala, one from Colombia, one from Honduras, one from to El Salvador and three to Ecuador.

Mexico

In the last two decades, journalists have been assassinated by drug trafficking groups, who want their “businesses” not to be known by public opinion. In some cities in northern Mexico, where drug trafficking to the US is more intense, some newspapers have imposed self-censorship, and topics such as drugs, drug addiction, and drug trafficking are not covered by local newspapers, as they are there have been cases of attacks on newspapers by drug traffickers.

A TV reporter with a microphone and next to his camera

With 80 journalists murdered since 2000 and another 14 disappeared since 2003, Mexico ranks as the most dangerous country on the continent for the media. In 2010 it was the second deadliest country for the press, along with Iraq and behind Pakistan. Social media users are also not safe from retaliation. María de Jesús Bravo and Gilberto Martínez Vera spent a month behind bars between August and September 2011 for having alerted on Twitter and Facebook about a possible attack by organized crime against a school in Veracruz. The charges of “terrorism” were finally dropped. and “sabotage” filed against them. The year 2011 was also marked by the murder of María Elizabeth Macías, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Primera Hora, published in Nuevo Laredo, in the state of Tamaulipas (east). The journalist, who owned a blog, also used social media to report on organized crime activities in the region.

During the six-year term of Luis Echeverría Álvarez (1970-1976), six journalists were assassinated; in the six-year term of José López Portillo (1976-1982), 12; in that of Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (1982-1988), 33. Since the six-year term of Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1988-1994) 48 journalists have been assassinated and it can be said that the attack on journalists by drug cartels began. In the six-year term of Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (1994-2000) there were 24; in that of Vicente Fox Quezada (2000-2006), 16 murders. While in 2007 there were seven journalists murdered, in the six-year term governed by Felipe Calderón Hinojosa (2006-2012).

The organization Reporters Without Borders reported in February 2008 that Mexico was the country in the Americas with the highest number of deaths of journalists, due to the exercise of their profession, during the year 2007, registering two reporters dead, three missing and the murder of three media collaborators.

Ecuador

In Ecuador, as of September 18, 1975, the Law for the Professional Practice of Journalists came into effect, three categories were established: 1st.- Whoever has obtained the academic title conferred by universities or other establishments of Higher Education of the Republic; 2.º.- Whoever has obtained that degree or another equivalent, in foreign Universities or Higher Education establishments and legally revalidates it in Ecuador; and 3rd.- Whoever has obtained a professionalization certificate granted by the Ministry of Public Education, due to having practiced the profession prior to the effective date of this Law and in accordance with its provisions.

Consequently, in Ecuador, as of that date, only graduates of higher education institutions created for that purpose and recognized by the Ecuadorian State can be called "journalists". Here it is worth noting the edition of the book "Periodistas sin título", made by the Ecuadorian journalist Milton Salvador, 2006, which reviews in detail what was noted.

Many people who consider journalists believe it is interchangeable with reporter, being a person who collects information and creates written reports or stories. However, looking at it from this point of view is very limited as there are many other types of journalists, including columnists, editors-in-chief, photographers, cameramen, newsroom designers, and substitute-editor (British) or copy-editors (American).. Another important difference is that designers, writers, and art directors who work exclusively on advertising are not considered journalists, since the material and content is determined by the person buying the ad. Regardless of the medium, the term journalist carries a connotation or expectation of professionalism in reporting, with consideration for truth, fairness, balance, decency, and ethics, although standards can vary widely between publications. Many mass-market newspapers make no pretense of impartiality, although in countries like the UK, they typically adhere to a voluntary code of conduct, with objectives such as maintaining truthfulness. Some editors argue that bias and prejudice are impossible to avoid, and that it is more honest to assume an editorial opinion by ensuring that material is factually correct.^{[citation needed]}

Argentina

In Argentina, the profession of journalist was created in 1944, under decree law number 7618. This decree established for the first time in the country's history the legal recognition of press workers.

In 1946, through law number 12,908 voted by the Congress of the Argentine Nation, labor protection was stipulated for those who practice journalism in Argentina.