The Professionals And Practitioners

In The Discipline Of Communication

 Intended Learning Outcomes
A. Define the roles, functions, and competencies
of communicators and journalists work;
B. Define areas of specialization in which
communicators and journalists work;
C. Describe career opportunities of
communicators and journalists;
D. Explain the rights, responsibilities, and
accountabilities of communicators; and
E. Discuss the code of ethics of communicators
and journalist.
- The discipline of communication is populated by a wide
variety of professionals who are in communication practice.
They are;
1. Creative artists
2. Writers
3. Editors
4. Journalists
5. Bloggers
6. Educators
7. Social advocates
8. Businessman/Businesswomen
9. Preachers
10. Scientists
11. Politicians
12. Announcers/Anchors
 Defining Roles, Functions, and
Competencies of Communicators and
Journalist
• Roles
The foremost important role is to make available
information and evidence to inform the public
about issues that matter to them in the most
neutral way possible. They provide facts for the
public to form judgement and decisions. In some
cases, they facilitate accurate processing an
analysis of such facts in a professional and
ethical way.
• Functions
To collect and document information, facts and
opinions, and present them for public and
analysis and deepening to the root of reality. Is to
deliver truth and facts.
• Competencies (4)
The competencies of communicators and
journalists are along their delivery of roles and
functions. They need to have listening, reading,
writing, and speaking skills. Listening and reading
are data and information gathering skills
necessary for accurate writing and speaking. But
writing and speaking skills are necessary for
communication as tools. Poor writing and
speaking skills can distort the message regardless
of the good intentions of the communicator.
 Areas of Specialization of
Communicators and Journalists
1. Speech writing and taking minutes of a meeting
2. Advertising
3. Marketing and Sales
4. Communication education
5. Electronic media
6. Radio television
7. Broadcasting
8. Public relations
9. Journalism
10. Theater
11. Performing arts
12. Dramatic arts
13. Public communication and opinion management
14. International relations management and negotiations
15. Copy writing
16. Production directing
17. Professional blogging
18. Language arts coordination
19. Forensic and debate coaching
20. Drama directing
21. Film and tape librarian
22. News editing
23. News directing
24. News writing
25. News anchoring
26. Transmitter engineering
27. Technical directing
As Journalists, they can also specialize in the field reporting, news
editing, news casting, author, copywriting, script writing, publishing,
news service research, technical writing, acquisition editing, and
interviewing.
 Career Opportunities for
Communicators and Journalists
- The field of communication is wide and almost
every aspect of business and human organization
has communication specialist or roles. Companies
have to relate with customers, clients, and other
stakeholders. The same is true for government and
public individuals because the need to be heard, to
be understood, to be followed, and to convince
others require communication.
1. Advertising and Marketing specialist- can work as
copy writer, account executive, sales manager,
media planner, media buyer, creative director,
media sales representatives, can also function as
public opinion researchers and pollsters ( such as in
Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia).
2. Communication educators can work as college or
university professors, and may also serve as speech
communication department chairpersons, language
arts coordinators, elem. And high school speech
teachers, forensic and debate coaches, or drama
directors.
3. Broadcasting careers- can work as broadcasting station
manager, director of broadcasting, film and tape librarian
etc.
4. Journalism can work as reporter, editor, newscaster,
author, copywriter, script writer, publisher, news service
researcher, technical writer, acquisition editor, and
interviewer.
5. Public Relations- can work as publicity manager,
advertising manager, marketing specialist, press agent,
lobbyist, corporate public affairs specialist, account
executive, development officers, fund raiser, membership
recruiter, sales manager, media analyst, media planner,
creative directors, audience analyst, news writer, and
public opinion researcher.
6. Theater and Performing Arts- can work as performing
artists, scriptwriter, producer, director, arts administrator,
performing arts educator, costume designer, theater critic,
makeup artist, stage manager, art and prop curator, stage
manager, model, theater professor, and casting director.
7. In Communication in government and politics related
can work as public information officer, speech writer,
legislative assistant, campaign director, research specialist,
program coordinator, negotiator, lobbyist, press secretary,
and elected officer.
8. International relations and Negotiations, communication
graduates can serve as on-air international broadcasting
talent, corporate representative translator, student tour
coordinator, diplomat, foreign relation officers,
host/hostess for foreign dignitaries, and foreign
correspondent.
 Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of
Communicators and Journalists
In modern times, the media have exerted enormous
power and assumed a powerful position
unprecedented in human history to serve as valuable
means for the articulation on a large scale of popular
aspirations and problems, of entertainment and
pleasure, of advertising and economic information,
of shared strengths as well as weaknesses.
In this sense, the rights, responsibilities, and
accountabilities have to be established to safeguard
the integrity of media and protection of the general
public in the form of accountability.
- It is also part of the responsibility of communicators and
journalists to ensure that citizens are able to originate
content and contribute to media content, and not just
remain passive consumers of media output.
- Communicators and journalist have rights,
responsibilities, and accountabilities to exercise and live
by which must provide guarantees against censorship
and protection of freedom of expression, safeguarding
the confidentiality of journalistic sources, ensuring that
information held by the government
- To ensure that citizens have convenient access to all
media which is subject to just and fair law and
universally recognized principles of human rights.
 Code of Ethics of Communicators and
Journalists
• General rule is respect for truthfulness and
respect for people’s right.
• (UNESCO) United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization considers the code of
ethics as being at the heart of good
communication and journalism for it fosters
professional self-censorship among professionals
in the industry.
• With the code of ethics, Journalist are served,
Publishers and owners of media outlets are
protected against legal claims and critics.
• With the code of ethics contributes to the
Accuracy, Fairness, and Reliability of
information.
 The National Union of Journalists (NUJ)
code of conduct
- Has set out the main principles of British and Irish journalism
since 1936. The code is part of the rules and all journalists joining
the union must sign that they will strive to adhere to it. Members
of the NUJ are expected to abide by the following;
A journalist:
1. At all times upholds defends the principles of media freedom,
freedom of expression and the right of the public to be
informed
2. Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly
conveyed, accurate and fair
3. Does his/her utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies
4. Differentiates between fact and opinion
5. Obtain material by honest, straightforward, and open means,
with the exception of investigations
6.Does nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief, or
distress unless justified by overriding consideration of the public
interest
7. Protects the identity of sources who supply information in
confidence and material gathered in the course of his/her work
8. Resist threats or any other inducements to influence, distort, or
suppress information and takes no unfair personal advantage of
information and takes no unfair personal advantage of information
9. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred of discrimination on
the grounds of a person’s age, gender, race, color, creed, legal
status, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation
10. Does not by way of statement, voice, or appearance endorse by
advertisement any commercial product or service save for the
promotion
11. Shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when
interviewing of photographing a child for a story about his/her
welfare.
12. Avoids plagiarism.
• NUJ believes a journalist has the right to
refuse an assignment or be identified as the
author of editorial that would break the letter
of spirit of the code. The NUJ will fully support
any journalist disciplined for asserting his/her
right to act according to the code.
 Activity
• Test Your Knowledge
A. Describe the roles and functions of communicators and
journalists.
B. What are the four main competencies of
communicators and journalists?
C. Name at least two career opportunities for the different
areas of specialization of communicators and journalists
- Advertising and Marketing:
- Communication Educators:
- Public Relations:
- Theater and Performing Arts:
- International Relations:
Check Your Knowledge
A. How can the lack of competencies of
communicators and journalists risk the
delivery of their roles and functions?
B. Explain the rights, responsibilities, and
accountabilities of communicators and
journalists.