Access journalism, or access reporting, refers to
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...
(often in
interview
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
form) which prioritizes access—meaning media time with important, rich, famous, powerful or otherwise influential people in politics, culture, sports, and other areas—over
journalistic objectivity
Journalistic objectivity is a considerable notion within the discussion of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity may refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these ...
and/or integrity.
Features
Typical features of access journalism include:
* absence of demanding
accountability towards the questioned respondent
* avoiding controversial topics so as to maintain access to the respondent
* pre-approved questions, no
gotcha questions, softball questions
* sometimes even respondent's control over how the interview will be edited and which parts will be aired
Access journalism, in some cases, is similar to
infomercials, or advertising disguised as news. The venture of doing the interview can be
symbiotic–beneficial for both the journalist and the celebrity, since it can
synergically bring more attention to both of them, and further notability, influence, media exposure, current relevance, etc. for both of them.
Access journalism has been contrasted with ''accountability journalism''. A similar contrast is between ''
lapdog journalism'' and ''
watchdog journalism''.
Criticism
Critics of access journalism point out that trying to be friends with important figures for access betrays the original and fundamental role of journalism. The practice was mentioned tangentially in the ''
Outfoxed
''Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism'' is a 2004 documentary film by filmmaker Robert Greenwald about Fox News Channel's and its owner's, Rupert Murdoch, promotion of conservative views. The film says this bias belies the channel's mot ...
'' documentary, which pointed out that the most recognized journalists of the flagship programs of the mainstream media, over the time, themselves become celebrities and occasionally mingle with other celebrities, including political ones, on cocktail parties, fancy dinners, banquets, etc. and create the kind of relationship that they, as journalists, should not have. One example of access journalism, in conjunction with gaining views and attention, was the attempt of the media to get access and media time with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential cycle. His media attractiveness resulted in free media time, worth (according to estimates) between 2 and 5
billion USD. At the height of the run, some media outlets were calling Trump daily without specific issues to ask him about, just to get his voice on air and eyeballs of curious Americans in the process.
See also
*
Journalistic objectivity
Journalistic objectivity is a considerable notion within the discussion of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity may refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these ...
References
{{Journalism
Journalism
Criticism of journalism
Types of journalism
Journalism ethics