Key Documents: Front Matter - Volume Introduction

The job of every journalist is essentially to become an “instant expert” on the subject he or she plans to report on or write about. This is a far cry from becoming a “true expert” on a subject—someone with all the answers, a mantle of authority, and a thorough mastery of an area. The instant expert aims to pick up just enough to comprehend the roots of a story, perhaps the jargon of an industry, and the core issues in play. Then they use this knowledge to form cogent questions.

In the scheme of the Encyclopedia of Journalism, Volume 5—Key Documents—plays the role of instant expert, while Volumes I through IV assume the burden of the true expert. The first four volumes contain the collected wisdom of scholars in myriad articles on every aspect of journalism. This volume more pointedly attempts to identify, and shed light on, specific selected documents that best raise fundamental questions about journalism and media. In essence, these documents take researchers back to the source to see where a dialogue on the practical aspects of the field must begin.

The real challenge for Volume 5 is to mount a substantial, revealing examination of the building blocks of journalism without overwhelming the reader. The first step, as in journalism itself, is to consider the needs and interests of the audience—journalism students, teachers, veteran reporters and editors, and researchers. These Volume 5 users are most concerned about the relevant foundations, current practices and prospective future of journalism revealed in four sections here: Journalism, Media, and the Law; Codes of Ethics/Newsroom Policies and Standards; Journalism Education: Preparation for Change; and Data on the Status and Practice of Journalism.

The representative sampling of documents for each section—especially Journalism, Media, and the Law—were painstakingly chosen. There are many traditional areas of journalism or media law with long histories and reams of law that has developed over the years through federal and state legislation and court decisions. This reservoir of media law rapidly continues to deepen as the journalism landscape evolves.

The advent of the Internet and growth in digital media present prime examples of innovation pushing the expansion of media law. There is a slew of regulatory legislation and intellectual property law already connected to online or electronic journalism, with more on the horizon. These newer segments of media law have a profound impact on the practice of journalism going forward. The same can be said for First Amendment law connected to clear and present danger, prior restraint and libel—and matters of privacy, freedom of information, and a reporter's privilege to withhold information. In each of these areas, legal experts weighed in on the landmark cases to include.

Volume 5 begins with the premise that journalists must first understand both the source of their legal limits and the rights they depend on. It then moves on to the self-imposed rules of journalism organizations and individual news outlets designed to protect the integrity of a profession often under attack. Section II looks to the most respected news organizations for the codes of ethics, newsroom policies, and standards of behavior that have become the benchmarks for the industry. It also serves to alert newer journalists to meaningful changes affecting different mediums and beats, including business, medical, education, and entertainment reporting.

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