In last week's class, we talked about a little bit about cultural immersion and ethnocentrism in journalism. This is basically when a journalist leaves the culture they are most familiar with and moves to another country to report on what is happening there. The question can be raised: is this a good idea, or a bad one?
Personally, I think that cultural immersion is a good idea. I think in most situations though, the reporter needs to be familiar with the language being spoken--as this is essential to effective communication. But this is part of what makes a career in journalism so promising and exciting: the opportunity to completely immerse yourself in a culture while reporting would expand your horizons as a reporter, it would help you grow as a person, and you would learn things you could in no other situation.
This video demonstrates a program where US journalists and Pakistani journalists traded spots across the globe to report in a completely foreign culture to them.
For young reporters especially, this would be a very beneficial experience. While just starting out their careers, they could expand their views of journalism, other cultures, and the entire world while starting out on the brink of their careers.
I'm sure that others would disagree with me and claim that reporting in another culture would make it extra hard for journalists to be objective, fair, and honest. But I think that by bringing in an outside opinion, it almost makes journalism more fair. It's a beginner's new view of things that could bring out things that would not be brought out otherwise.
What do you think? Is cultural immersion a good way to report news?
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