Journalism

Journalism is exciting.  Journalism in alternative media is even more so.  There are many topics to discover, corruption to uncover, and truths to relentlessly pursue.  Here we discuss the profession of journalism as it relates to Signal High.  This section includes key positions, interesting history, and important facts about the news process and the people who make it possible.

We invite you to consider some of the exciting and rewarding career streams [HERE].  You are also welcome to reach out with any questions [HERE].

The following topics are explored here:

• Roles in Journalism [HERE]
• Foreign Languages [HERE]
• Archives [HERE]
• Free Press [HERE]
• Online News Act (Canada) [HERE]
• Regulator [HERE]

Roles in Journalism

Sometimes, it can be difficult to understand who does what in the world of news media.  Journalists are often referred to by functional roles, with catch-all phrases.  News agencies throw around titles like Bureau Chief and Senior Foreign Correspondent, and it can get complicated.  Here, we give an inside look at what these positions mean, and what they really do.  When reading, keep the overall news process in mind: Report > Newsroom > Journalist > Editor > Production > Selection > Publishing.

• Bureau Chief (also, deputy/assistant bureau chief, etc). Company manager in an office or geographic area, or in charge of a particular subject matter. Charged to organize, guide, and generally supervise journalists, often carrying administrative or management functions.
• Correspondent (also, foreign correspondent, contributor, etc). Journalists not regularly engaged with the agency that contribute on specific topics, from specific regions, or areas of specialization.
• Editor (also, senior/managing editor, etc). Editors are the quality control mechanism of the news process. They receive draft articles from journalists, evaluate sources, verify and validate for accuracy, correct for presentation, etc. Editors are the fourth stage in the news process.
• Editor-in-Chief. Senior-most editor in charge of a publication, news division, etc. Responsible to oversee editorial processes, selection of articles, etc.
• Executive Producer. Normally a position found in radio and studio business lines, this is the person ultimately in charge of a show, production, or series of productions — a combination of news director and editor-in-chief as it pertains to their particular production.
• Freelance Writer (also, freelancer, guest writer). Someone who has sent in their own news story for consideration, and it was selected for publish.
• Host (also, news anchor, guest host). Normally a position found in the radio and studio business lines, this is the front-line reporter that coordinates the presentation of news, often directing dialog with other journalists.
• Investigative Reporter (also, senior or lead investigative reporter, etc). Front-line journalists that dig deep into stories, sometimes using intensive, intrusive, and aggressive techniques — often in the field. They pursue and press subjects, hit sources, gather facts, etc. They take reports from assignment desk and hand off to editors.
• Journalist. Journalist is a catch-all phrase, referring to anyone involved with any stage of the news process.
• News Agency. The company, firm, or organization that organizes the news process. Signal High News Corporation is a news agency.
• News Director (also, assignment desk, newsroom, etc). Company manager in charge of the newsroom (assignment desk), and for assigning news stories to journalists, teams, and bureaus. Superintends the first three stages in the news process.
• News Executive (e.g. head of print media, vice-president news, etc). Senior company managers empowered to select and decision news stories, production, placement, publication, etc. Superintends all parts of the news process. Can be charged with specific business lines or news streams — e.g. print media, radio, etc.
• News Wire (also, syndication, news share). Central repository of news articles submitted by members, and made available to members.
• Payment Agent. A person or organization that will accept payments and transact accounts on behalf of another, often in their native currency and geopolitical region.
• Producer (also, operator, senior producer, production team). Producers support the news process and include writers, camera and microphone operators, audio and video engineers, etc. They are members of the production team, and considered journalists.
• Publisher (also, publishing supervisor/manager). Publisher can have many meanings. In some organizations, the publisher is the owner or chief manager responsible for the entire news process; however, we use publisher as a catch-all for the technical staff (layout technicians, webmasters, etc) that integrate monetization, format articles and insert them into the appropriate platforms, publications, broadcasts, etc. The final stage in the news process.
• Researcher. Member of the production team that researches stories, subjects, and other items of interest. Not normally involved in the presentation.
• Writer (also, scriptwriter, prompter, etc). Member of the production team involved in the writing end of the cycle. Not normally engaged in the presentation side.

Foreign Languages

Signal High News Corporation reports news that matters from around the world; therefore, it stands to reason that content may be developed in languages other than English.  While English is our mainstay, some articles may be published in, or contain content, in other languages — including French, German, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, etc.

It is our policy to clearly mark every article with the published language, and denote when the published article is translated from another language, in whole or in part.  We also mark when articles have been published in other languages, and when sub-titles are present.  You can find this information on the front page, as well in each article.

Signal High does not offer in-platform translation services and we do not endorse any particular product or service in this respect; however, some readers have recommended the following: Google Translate [LINK],  DeepL [LINK], and Microsoft Edge [LINK].  We are open to feedback on other solutions.

Archives

If you are engaged in research, Signal High News Corporation would be pleased to help you get the material you need.  This includes access to historical records, articles, broadcasts, and logos used across our platforms, including print, digital, broadcast, and social media.  For specific requests, such as high-resolution files or historical context, please provide details in your request so we can assist efficiently.  Our media desk aims to support academic, journalistic, and professional research.

Reach out [HERE] or browse archived articles [HERE].

Free Press

Journalists have not only the right to report the news, but an obligation.  The First Amendment of the United States Constitution [LINK] reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

In fact, the importance of a free and independent press was codified when Judge Sir William Blackstone [LINK] determined that government could not stop the press from publishing (Commentaries on English Law, 1765-70).  Early legal scholars agreed that the press was a way to fight the abuse of power, as it exposed government offences.  Mr. President James Madison [LINK] himself agreed when the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) cited the press as a “great bulwark of liberty,” asserting a free press protects liberty and that its freedom must not be violated.

The rights of the press have been challenged throughout the years: the Sedition Act of 1798,  Near v. Minnesota in 1931, New York Times v. U.S. in 1971 and others.  But in the end, the rights of the press to publish, to inform and to “serve the governed, not the governors” (Supreme Court) have been upheld.

The Founders knew that newspapers kept citizens informed. They allowed them to take good, knowledgable decisions about government. Since the government’s power comes from the people, the government can’t make good choices unless its constituents are well informed.

In May 2020, Nick Routley published Mapped: The State of Press Freedom Around the World for VisualCapitalist.com, and captured the number of people around the globe who don’t have free press.  He further captured how free the press really is.  The article is a most interesting and highly recommended read.

Struggle

Reputable journalists defend these rights every day, sometimes at their own peril. Hundreds of journalists have been imprisoned and fined large amounts of money because they refused to identify their sources to the courts. Many more around the world have been put to death. Left-leaning and dictatorial governments like France, Canada, China and Russia control their media, filter content and use their police and judiciaries to enforce their political will.

Great Cost

Judges don’t like it when common folk refuse their orders, and the police are always more than willing to perform illegal searches, unlawful arrests and enact other measures of harassment, especially when they know they are not going to be held to account.

Freedom

Signal High News Corporation entirely supports a free and independent press.  It is our position that the rights and privileges we enjoy as (reasonably) free journalists are often jeopardized, and that we are often called upon to assert our rights so as to avoid losing them.

Mr. President Ronald Reagan [LINK] said once about freedom, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

We support the following organizations:

• U.S. Press Association
• International Federation of Journalists
• American Press Association, ca. 1882

Online News Act (Canada)

The Government of Canada recently enacted legislation impacting radio, television and print media.  Under this new law, foreign news media broadcasters, and content creators, would have to pay fees or royalties of sort to report on Canadian news to the Canadian market.  This law seriously disadvantages non-Canadian broadcasters, and will ultimately reduce choice.  Furthermore, it is impossible to properly calculate and fairly enforce without a large, unwieldy bureaucracy.

Signal High News Corporation is steadfastly opposed to erecting walls and silos in journalism.  We favor a free and uninhibited press.  It is the cornerstone of democracy.  Following is a press release issued by Signal High executives in response to this unfortunate direction.

Regulator

The Federal Communications Commission [LINK] is the national authority for radio and television broadcasting in the United States.