Sean Penn and Journalism
January 19 2016 By Abiodun Giwa
Sean Penn did what many journalists would wish for themselves, when he got an interview with the most wanted drug baron, El Chapo. Questions immediately began over the legality of the interview, because according to reports the subject of the interview was a fugitive on the run from the law.
However, other issues arose about whether Sean Penn should be regarded as a journalist. Or whether he is a journalist or not, because of allowing his own opinions to come up in the published interview.
Sean himself had asked the question about the what made one a journalist and what did not. It is the same question people who are not journalist and who don't know what it entails to be a journalist ask about requirements that makes a person a journalist, beyond the ability to do some of the things that journalists do like reporting, writing their reports and doing interviews.
Penn seems to be unaware of the journalism code of conduct that guide journalists on their job, apart from the ability to report, write interview and tabulate the reports and interviews. It is possible that Penn knows, because we all know that every profession have their code of conduct, just like journalism has its own its own, but he chooses to be silent on it, and preferring to ask about what makes one a journalist.
Sean's biography by Wikipedia shows that he is a member of the Democratic Party. This is one disclosure that shows Penn's association that goes against journalism's code of conduct forbids. if Penn is a professional journalist, he would not have a political party affiliation forbidding by journalism's code of conduct.
But is Sean a writer? Yes, he is. And that being a writer that is capable of getting good interviews and getting published in such high rated publications such as the Rolling Stone magazine is awesome. And learning that professional journalists and editors at the Rolling Stone magazine handled the process of the interview from the beginning to the end also gave credence to his El Chapo interview, and if there was any misrepresentation as some professional journalists had said, the fault would not be that of Sean alone, but also that of the professionals who acted as Sean's handlers in the conduct and publication of the interview.
It is mostly in the class of Law of Journalism that students of Journalism come into answering questions about who is a journalist and who is not a journalist. For example a lack of the knowledge of the law of law could result in a practitioner committing trespass, believing that as a journalist he or she could enter a premises without due permission, take a photograph or video someone without prior approval or act as an undercover, textbooks and professors say. they say it is why the code of conduct about introducing self as a journalist or reporter is essential to an interviewee or when covering an event, because they say there is no undercover journalism as some people who lack the training would tell you it exists.
This aspect of this topic about who is a journalist and who is not a journalist has become a hot debate in school with the issue of Paparazzi claiming to be journalists, but which they are not, according to the conclusion of a class discussion in a journalism school.
However, journalism as one of the most liberal professions but unlike other sciences, anyone who is capable of good English and writing has access and a promising future, but not without acquiring the background knowledge that will enable you avoid gate crashing into people's homes or taking their photographs without their consent.
Learning on the job in the processes of working under professionals who have acquired the knowledge and the know how, through school attendance or learning on the job after the acquisition of good academic background. Of course, these days one requires good academic background in whatever one intends to do. However, people who go to journalism school know that they gain a lot for attending by understanding what they would have been missing without it, especially with the new internet age and online publications.
The difference between an accredited journalist, who has the prerequisite academic qualification or one who has a training on the job after having a good educational background and one without any of these is belonging to a body of people outside the profession of journalism, who don't know what it entails to be a journalist, but think and believe they can qualify themselves as journalists, because they can either write or interview or do a good video recorder.
A sound knowledge of the law of journalism, and understanding the profession's code of conduct are important for every practitioner, and the people who don't have them and who have to be guided by professionals, in any of their journalism undertakings, cannot claim to be journalists. But one wonders why Penn would still wants to be seen as a journalist, despite his tall achievement in other areas of human endeavor.
However, other issues arose about whether Sean Penn should be regarded as a journalist. Or whether he is a journalist or not, because of allowing his own opinions to come up in the published interview.
Sean himself had asked the question about the what made one a journalist and what did not. It is the same question people who are not journalist and who don't know what it entails to be a journalist ask about requirements that makes a person a journalist, beyond the ability to do some of the things that journalists do like reporting, writing their reports and doing interviews.
Penn seems to be unaware of the journalism code of conduct that guide journalists on their job, apart from the ability to report, write interview and tabulate the reports and interviews. It is possible that Penn knows, because we all know that every profession have their code of conduct, just like journalism has its own its own, but he chooses to be silent on it, and preferring to ask about what makes one a journalist.
Sean's biography by Wikipedia shows that he is a member of the Democratic Party. This is one disclosure that shows Penn's association that goes against journalism's code of conduct forbids. if Penn is a professional journalist, he would not have a political party affiliation forbidding by journalism's code of conduct.
But is Sean a writer? Yes, he is. And that being a writer that is capable of getting good interviews and getting published in such high rated publications such as the Rolling Stone magazine is awesome. And learning that professional journalists and editors at the Rolling Stone magazine handled the process of the interview from the beginning to the end also gave credence to his El Chapo interview, and if there was any misrepresentation as some professional journalists had said, the fault would not be that of Sean alone, but also that of the professionals who acted as Sean's handlers in the conduct and publication of the interview.
It is mostly in the class of Law of Journalism that students of Journalism come into answering questions about who is a journalist and who is not a journalist. For example a lack of the knowledge of the law of law could result in a practitioner committing trespass, believing that as a journalist he or she could enter a premises without due permission, take a photograph or video someone without prior approval or act as an undercover, textbooks and professors say. they say it is why the code of conduct about introducing self as a journalist or reporter is essential to an interviewee or when covering an event, because they say there is no undercover journalism as some people who lack the training would tell you it exists.
This aspect of this topic about who is a journalist and who is not a journalist has become a hot debate in school with the issue of Paparazzi claiming to be journalists, but which they are not, according to the conclusion of a class discussion in a journalism school.
However, journalism as one of the most liberal professions but unlike other sciences, anyone who is capable of good English and writing has access and a promising future, but not without acquiring the background knowledge that will enable you avoid gate crashing into people's homes or taking their photographs without their consent.
Learning on the job in the processes of working under professionals who have acquired the knowledge and the know how, through school attendance or learning on the job after the acquisition of good academic background. Of course, these days one requires good academic background in whatever one intends to do. However, people who go to journalism school know that they gain a lot for attending by understanding what they would have been missing without it, especially with the new internet age and online publications.
The difference between an accredited journalist, who has the prerequisite academic qualification or one who has a training on the job after having a good educational background and one without any of these is belonging to a body of people outside the profession of journalism, who don't know what it entails to be a journalist, but think and believe they can qualify themselves as journalists, because they can either write or interview or do a good video recorder.
A sound knowledge of the law of journalism, and understanding the profession's code of conduct are important for every practitioner, and the people who don't have them and who have to be guided by professionals, in any of their journalism undertakings, cannot claim to be journalists. But one wonders why Penn would still wants to be seen as a journalist, despite his tall achievement in other areas of human endeavor.
