Research Guides: Journalism: Introduction

A short definition of Journalism

The Oxford English Dictionary defines "journalism" as "the occupation or profession of a journalist; journalistic writing; the public journals collectively." It was first used in 1833 in the The Westminster Review published in London.

[Source: "Journalism, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, accessed May 9, 2022]

In the library's collections

Journalism is the subject heading used in the online catalog. You can narrow the search by adding a country name after journalism. You can also browse the shelves in Baker/Berry Library to see what we have on Journalism. The call number range is PN 4699 through PN 5650 located on Stack Level 4.

Journalism Quick links

Communication & mass media complete (CMMC) by Ebsco
Call Number: Electronic resource
This is the main article index for the field of Communications and Mass Media.
Encyclopedia of American journalism by Stephen L. Vaughn, ed.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780415969505
The Encyclopedia of American Journalism explores the distinctions found in print media, radio, television, and the internet. This work seeks to document the role of these different forms of journalism in the formation of America's understanding and reaction to political campaigns, war, peace, protest, slavery, consumer rights, civil rights, immigration, unionism, feminism, environmentalism, globalization, and more.
The international encyclopedia of journalism studies by Tim P. Vos; Folker Hanusch; Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou; Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh; Annika Sehl, eds.
Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 4728 .I58 2019
ISBN: 9781118841679
The definitive reference source on journalism studies for students, researchers, and academics The digital era has seen significant social, economic, and technological change in journalism, invigorating journalism studies as an academic discipline. The International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies is a unique reference guide and resource on the rapidly growing and evolving field of journalism scholarship, providing credible and timely information on its key concepts, theories, and methodologies. The official encyclopedia of the International Communication Association (ICA) includes more than 250 entries that form a comprehensive overview of the study of journalism as a distinct field. ...
Journalism from Oxford Bibliographies Online - Communication by Matt Carlson
Call Number: Electronic resource
ISBN: 9780199756841
The study of journalism is complicated by questions of just what journalism is. Journalism can be viewed as a profession employing thousands of workers, a practice with a set of rules and expectations, and a product that we also call news. Scholars have been exploring these phenomena through a variety of methods and theoretical approaches over the past century. The interest in journalism as a particular form of media work stems from the close association between news and democratic governance. ...

Combating fake news?

This section highlights articles about fake news, fighting against fake news and what news organizations are doing.

AP to debunk election information on Facebook from the Associated Press (AP)
As part of its comprehensive fact-checking efforts, The Associated Press announced Wednesday that it will work with Facebook to identify and debunk false and misleading stories related to the U.S. midterm election that are circulating on the platform. From a press release dated March 7, 2018.
Combating fake news in the digital age from Library Technology Reports
The issue of fake news has become very prominent in recent months. Its power to mislead and misinform has been made evident around the world. While fake news is not a new phenomenon, the means by which it is spread has changed in both speed and magnitude. This is a special issue from the publication dated Nov/Dec 2017.
Fighting falsehood: fake news, Facebook and the First Amendment from the Cardozo Law & Entertainment Law Journal
Fake news stories about the major presidential candidates became widespread on Facebook and elsewhere online in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election, raising questions of whether fake news influenced the outcome of the election. ... (vol. 35, 3, pp. 669-705)
Google plans to invest $300 Million to fight fake news from The Mercury News
Amid the uproar and consternation around the world over fake news and misinformation on the internet, Google pledges to promote quality journalism — and put its money where its mouth is. Posted 3/20/2018
How to spot fake news from FactCheck.org
Fake news is nothing new. But bogus stories can reach more people more quickly via social media than what good old-fashioned viral emails could accomplish in years past. ... Posted November 18, 2016.
Inside the plan to combat fake new from Advertising Age
The social media giant has been under intense scrutiny ever since Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, an upset that some say was at least partly fueled by a mess of misinformation on social media services including Facebook, Reddit and Twitter. Fraudulent "news" sites used Facebook for circulation by posting headlines that were shared widely, driving web traffic and generating ad dollars. (vol. 87, 24, 12/19/2016)
Nyhan Joins Call for a New Field of Study to Fight Fake News by Bill Platt
Government professor Brendan Nyhan has joined 15 other academics and researchers in government, journalism, computer science, law, communications, and psychology in a call for a multidisciplinary effort to stem the flow of fake news and to address the “underlying pathologies it has revealed.” ... from Dartmouth News posted 3/21/2018
Spotting fake news in a world with manipulated video
From the CBS Evening News, An image of Parkland shooting survivor turned gun control activist Emma Gonzalez tearing up the Constitution recently went viral, even though it isn't real. That type of deception could be harder to spot when the future of fake news is manipulated video. ...
The spread of true and false news online from Science
A large-scale analysis of tweets reveals that false rumors spread further and faster than the truth in the March 9, 2018 issue.

Internet resource(s)

AllSides
AllSides uses its media bias ratings to provide a breadth of perspectives on today's news, issues and opinions to help readers determine an informed opinion.
FactCheck.org
They are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Their goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
Fact Checker from The Washington Post
The purpose of their website, and an accompanying column in the Sunday print edition of The Washington Post is to “truth squad” the statements of political figures regarding issues of great importance, be they national, international or local. It’s a big world out there, and so they rely on readers to ask questions and point out statements that need to be checked.
First Draft News
First Draft – a project of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government – uses research-based methods to fight mis- and disinformation online. Additionally, it provides practical and ethical guidance in how to find, verify and publish content sourced from the social web.
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
As the leading voice for media literacy education, NAMLE aims to make media literacy highly valued and widely practiced as an essential life skill. They envision a day when everyone, in our nation and around the world, possess the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. Media literacy education refers to the practices necessary to foster these skills. They define both education and media broadly. ...
Pacific Standard
By combining research that matters with ambitious narrative and investigative reporting, Pacific Standard tells stories across print and digital platforms about society's biggest problems, both established and emerging, and the people attempting to solve them.
PolitiFact
Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Their core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason they publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy.
Snopes.com
The oldest fact checking site on the internet.
Sunlight Foundation
The Sunlight Foundation is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses civic technologies, open data, policy analysis and journalism to make our government and politics more accountable and transparent to all.