There are buzzwords that attempt to sum up an everyday mood or feeling, added to constantly as society tries to express itself and the current state of its citizens. There are also various sometimes cleverly devised mnemonics invented to explain complex theories or fundamentals. The most useful of these for journalists today, in times gone past and, there is no reason to doubt, for the future of journalism also, are the simple 3c’s. They apply as much to radio as they ever did to older forms of communication.
Journalistic Maxims
Jeff Legowald was a reporter on the now defunct newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News; a newspaper that had, since 1859 and until recently chronicled “the life of Denver and Colorado, the nation and the world.” On an internet feature about the newspaper’s demise and its final edition, he quotes a sign on one of his previous newspaper’s News Desks in Chicago that read, ”If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out.”
There are many such adages the world over and all attempt to instill and reinforce in reporters the basics of journalism no matter what medium carries the message.
- Radio
- Television
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- The Internet
Journalism Jobs
These sayings act as an aide-memoir in the often fast moving world of reporting be it relating events locally, nationally and internationally and are a simple way of outlining the basic premise for the everyday no matter what the journalist’s position:
- Writer
- Reporter
- Editor
- Presenter
- Producer
- Contributor
The same rules apply to everybody whatever their position and all involved have a responsibility to: the truth; to their readers; and to be independent.
The 3C’s of Journalism
To help them achieve this, every good journalist working in radio or any branch of the media will be very well aware of most basic premise upon which all good and balanced reporting is based, ‘The 3c’s.” Every story, item or feature should be:
- Clear
- Concise
- Correct
Clear – famous and not so famous writers over time all develop their own style of writing, and some styles and ways of reporting are more popular with certain readers than others. There are also many branches of journalism from news to sports, investigative to celebrity reporting but it is the responsibility of the writer in all instances to be clear i.e.: not obscure, difficult to understand, incomprehensible or at worst ambiguous.
Concise – great writers have a gift with an editing pencil and an unswerving ability to get to the point. The best news reporting is often short and snappy, and never longwinded. It has an inherent trait of always holding the reader’s or listener’s attention.
Correct – and finally, great reporting is always well researched, balanced, even-handed and objective. It reports both or all sides of the story and gives all an equal platform.
The 3c’s in Practice
Achieving all 3c’s is not always easy, but then the most sought after achievements sometimes never are. The most experienced journalists generally have a practiced in-built instinct not to say acquired talent that governs all their reporting. Should this instinct fail or should they veer away from this, or should inexperience result in reporting that is neither clear, concise or correct, expect a reminder from either the editor or attentive listeners.
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