The Global Journalist, by Philip Seib
Review of a Recommended Title for Journalism Students
Aug 28, 2009
In his book, Philip Seib argues that journalists are obligated to ethical practices commensurate with their potential for influence of public policy. Although careful not to overstate the importance of news coverage in influencing government action, he does try to provoke journalists to consider the responsibilities of that influence, whatever the degree. "The job of the news media is not to try to solve all the world's problems, but to shake awake the world's conscience," he writes.
Seib is the Director of the University of South Carolina Center of Public Diplomacy, a Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy and Professor of International Relations. The Global Journalist was published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc; 2002, ISBN-0-7425-1101-4.
He describes an inversely proportionate relationship between media influence and policy strength. "If a nation's foreign policy is well defined and well defended by the officials responsible for it, it is unlikely to be blown hither and yon by the winds of new coverage," he writes. But, in a policy vacuum, the impact of news coverage can be magnified, and with it the need for journalistic integrity.
According to Seib, the duties of a journalist are:
- To inform, especially a broad audience
- Make decisions about what to report in terms of newsworthiness, but also in terms of the effects of such decisions
- Tone of coverage is important - there is a line between aggressive and biased reporting
- Journalists should recognize that their coverage may affect opinion and policy
International Conflicts and Reporting in Real Time
The book covers the twenty-first century journalist's role in international conflict situations. There is a strong emphasis on the effects on audiences of real-time reporting via television and internet. He uses well reported international crises like Somalia and Bosnia to explain how technology is changing the way wars are fought and reported, as well as to define how journalists met their duties in conflict reporting and in demanding that public officials respond to humanitarian crises.
He also mentions the staggering failure of the media to report on the Rwandan genocide until after refugees began pouring out of the country. Other underreported international crises mentioned in the book are Sierra Leone and East Timor. Seib discusses the reasons why coverage was minimal, despite the stories being every bit dramatic as Bosnia or Somalia, and describes the policies undertaken by the international community in the absence of public awareness or pressure.
The Case of Ed Vulliamy: Journalism Ethics and Witness Testimony
Seib discusses one of the more complicated ethical dilemmas faced by journalists. He asks, "Does the journalist have a responsibility to step beyond traditional news venues and provide information elsewhere, such as in a courtroom?"
The ethical dilemma presents itself because, in general, news professionals are wary of confusing the observer role with being a participant in the process. Journalists are consistently pressured to testify in court against their better judgments - is this a slippery slope? Also, if journalists could be seen as potential future witnesses, their safety and efficacy will be compromised.
However, in extremely rare circumstances, journalists have decided to provide witness testimony. Ed Vulliamy was one of the first journalists to enter the Omarska concentration camp in Bosnia in 1992. He testified before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague against Dusko Tadic.
About his decision, Vulliamy is quoted in the book as writing: "I believe that there are moments in history when neutrality is not neutral, but complicit in the crime. The neutrality adopted by diplomats and the media is both dangerous and morally reprehensible. By remaining neutral, we reward the bullies of history and discard the peace and justice promised us by the generation that defeated the Third Reich."
However, Seib goes on to explain how, by handing over his notes and going beyond standard journalistic practice by testifying, Vulliamy put a source in jeopardy. In the later trial of Milan Kovacevic, lawyers demanded to see all of Vulliamy's notebooks, where they found a phone number and address belonging to a sensitive source. Lawyers demanded to know whose details were jotted down, putting both news gathering and the source in danger.
Vulliamy went on to provide more prosecution testimony at the Hague than any other witness.
Final Thoughts
The Global Journalist is a surprisingly easy read that raises more questions rather than answers. Seib's purpose for the book is to challenge journalists to think about what good journalism is, and the often convoluted set of links that connects it to public policy. He accomplishes this kind of moral imperative by using both well reported and underreported stories as cases, by discussing the changing nature of journalism in the digital age, and by delving into the complicated decisions that individuals make in order to be at peace with their roles as truth tellers.
For more J-School recommended reading reviews see:
Compassion Fatigue, by Susan D. Moeller
The Global Journalist, by Philip Seib
The Universal Journalist, 3rd edition, by David Randall
Reporting War, edited by Zelizer and Allan
International News Reporting: Frontlines and Deadlines, edited by Owen and Purdey
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