Preventive journalism
Encyclopedia
Preventive journalism is a journalistic
discipline that reports on urgent social problems at an early stage and on solutions proposed for these problems. It complements traditional investigative journalism
and recognizes that journalism can alert government and society to problems before they become crises.
Michael O'Neill, editor of the New York Daily News
from 1975 to 1982 and former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors
, wrote in 1985 that preventive journalism should "search in advance for the hidden forces of change [and] try to identify the underlying causes of crises before, rather than after, they explode so that an alerted society might have time to protect itself from the ambushes of history."
The concept was also used in a 1996 Kofi Annan
speech 1 where he stressed the need for such a kind of journalism without further detailing its characteristics.
Peace Journalism
follows similar tenets as preventive journalism, though preventive journalism extends its action range to social
, economic, institution
al, human rights
, and environmental
concerns.
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
discipline that reports on urgent social problems at an early stage and on solutions proposed for these problems. It complements traditional investigative journalism
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
and recognizes that journalism can alert government and society to problems before they become crises.
Michael O'Neill, editor of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
from 1975 to 1982 and former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors
American Society of Newspaper Editors
The American Society of News Editors is a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of media-related foundations and training organizations...
, wrote in 1985 that preventive journalism should "search in advance for the hidden forces of change [and] try to identify the underlying causes of crises before, rather than after, they explode so that an alerted society might have time to protect itself from the ambushes of history."
The concept was also used in a 1996 Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
speech 1 where he stressed the need for such a kind of journalism without further detailing its characteristics.
Peace Journalism
Peace Journalism
Peace journalism has been developed from research that indicates that often news about conflict has a value bias toward violence. It also includes practical methods for correcting this bias by producing journalism in both the mainstream and alternative media and working with journalists, media...
follows similar tenets as preventive journalism, though preventive journalism extends its action range to social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
, economic, institution
Institution
An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human community...
al, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, and environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
concerns.
External links
- The International, a publication that encompasses preventive journalism standards.
- Web of the Institute of Preventive Journalism and International Análisis (IPPAI),based in Madrid, Spain
- Magazine of the Institute of Preventive Journalism and International Análisis (IPPAI),based in Madrid, Spain
- Web site of Understanding Government, based in Washington, D.C., USA, sponsor of the Prize for Preventive Journalism