Journal #2 – On “A Short History of Journalism for Journalists: A Proposal and Essay” by Carey

Two interesting elements I selected from Carey’s article “A Short History of Journalism for Journalists: A Proposal and Essay” begin with the idea he proposed that while historians and scholars argue over the origins of news/reporting/journalism, the answer is really found in identifying an immense web of innate human necessities to monitor, signal and share critical information but also the developments industrialized, commercialized societies of the 18th/19th century. In the scope of his initial claim that journalists don’t know the history and craft of their profession, I find this development of cultures, politics, and power shifts alongside news and reporting that comes to be known as journalism to be a powerful image. To open up the discussion in a framework such as this, it feels necessary to progress past this current tradition of journalists idealizing or romanticizing the generations before in a short-sited, politically induced manner and instead realize the scope of history that spans so much further. Another aspect of this article that I connected with on a personal level regarding my major in English was the discussion of the novel and journalism. The idea that fiction was given such authoritative detail but dealt with only imagined realities was confusing to novel readers. Thinking of the continuity of journalism alongside the novel is an angle I never thought of before, and opening up these preconditions of journalism that build upon each other not in separate, rigid binaries but in a mashed-up mix that is true to life. I feel that is an excellent concept to keep in mind when we think about the roles of journalists.