Advocacy Journalism

1. Advocacy Journalism

2. Advocacy Journalism • The term advocacy journalism describes the use of journalism techniques to promote a specific political or social cause. • Advocacy journalism is a genre of journalism that (unlike simple propaganda) is fact-based, but supports a specific point of view on an issue. • The term is potentially meaningful only in opposition to a category of journalism that does not engage in advocacy, objective journalism.

3. Advocacy Journalism • Advocacy journalists might be expected to focus on stories dealing with corporate business practices, government policies, political corruption, and social issues.  • Most advocacy journalists reject the supposed objectivity of the mainstream press as a practical impossibility, and some others take the position that the economic censorship exerted by corporate sponsors is no different than political censorship. 

4. A hypothetical example of advocacy journalism  • Here is public conflict regarding opposition and support for building a large power plant. • A local print or electronic media outlet opposed to the plant presents a five-part series accenting probable negative consequences the construction of the power plant would have on the town. • The news outlet reports on questionable activities or policies of the builder, conflicts of interest between the builder and local politicians, and negative environmental impacts,

5. Advocacy journalism  • Downplays anticipated benefits of the plant. • The advocacy media outlets give coverage to local demonstrations and town meetings, but avoid interviewing credible supporters. • In short, the advocacy news media outlets present selected facts in a compelling, well-researched manner, but avoid presenting credible opposition data. 

6. Advocacy journalism  • Traditionally, advocacy and criticism are restricted to editorial and op-ed pages: • a fire-wall exists between the editorial section and the newsroom. • The Wall Street Journal, for example, has a policy of strict separation between the news desk and the editorial board; most major print and electronic news outlets do as well.

7. Advocacy journalism  • In contrast, advocacy journalism takes a position on the issues of the day, and one is likely to observe subtle or obvious editorializing in reports. • A television news presenter's facial expressions, a radio broadcaster's tone of voice, and the adjectives selected by print journalists, will indicate a discernible opinion regarding what is being reported. 

8. Advocacy journalism  • Advocacy journalism is practiced by a broad range of mainstream media outlets and alternative media and special interest publications and programs, but might also apply to a single article in an otherwise-neutral publication. • there are also "advocacy journals", or "alternative publications", which are marketed to target groups based on their interests or biases

9. Criticism of advocacy journalism • Professional journalists and members of the public critical of the term assert that with the sacrifice of a measure of journalist objectivity you have bad journalism: reporting that does not serve the public interest. • This is essentially editorializing or sensationalizing on the news pages or during electronic news media presentations. • The term might also indicate a serious breach of journalistic canons and standards, such as rumor mongering, yellow journalism, sensationalism or other ethically flawed reportage