DIASS

Definition of Communication
Transactional process in which people generate meaning through the exchange of verbal messages in
specific context, influenced by individual and societal forces and embedded in culture. Culture here is
considered as the provider of patterns of perceptions, values, and behaviour that transmits and makes a
shared heritage. (Alberts, Nakayama, and Martin (2007)
The Discipline of Communication
Deals with how humans use verbal and non- verbal messages to create meaning in various context. It
includes the study of communication in interpersonal relationships, groups, organizations, and across
cultures.
Goals of communication
 Every day, we communicate with variety of people, for a variety of reasons, in a variety of ways.
 The aim is to create social political change, say, by exposing the injustices of the courts, schools,
prisons and workhouses.
 The goal is to make group life possible through socialization, enculturation, intergenerational
solidarity, nation building, and social change. 000
Basic elements of the communication process
 Sender - Receiver
 Message
 Channels
 Feedback
 Noise
 Setting
Context and the basic concepts of communication
1. Psychological frame of reference - defines one's mental schema.
2. Cultural frame of reference - defines one's cultural bias
3. Social frame of reference - defines social bias
4. Spatial frame of reference - egocentric experience, environmental and geographical parameters
5. Temporal frame of reference - space and range
6. Historical frame of reference - define one's historical bias
Levels of communication
 Intrapersonal - this refers to communication that occur within us. This involves feelings,
thoughts, and the way we look at ourselves.
 Interpersonal - occurs on one-to-one basis usually in an informal, unstructured setting. ▸
 Intercultural - occurs between or among members of different cultures or people who are
enculturated differently.
 Interviewing - Its purpose is to get information on a particular subject.
Areas of Specialization of communicators and Journalist
Speech writing and taking minutes of a meeting, advertising, marketing; and sales, communication
education; electronic media. radio-television, and broadcasting; public relations; journalism; theater;
performing arts, and dramatic arts; public communication and opinion management; and international
relations management and negotiations.

Career opportunities for Communicators and Journalists

 Speech writer, Press secretary, Public information officer, advertising, sales assistant and account
executive, research associate, and operations manager.
 Career in advertising, career in communication education: career in electronic media, radio-
television, and broadcasting, career in public relations, career in journalism, career in theater,
performing arts, career in communication in the government and politics related.

Code of Ethics of Communicators and Journalists

Communicators and journalists have codes of ethics and professional standards based on self-regulation.
The general rule is respect for truthfulness and respect for people's rights. The United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) considers the code of ethics as being at the
heart of good communication and journalism for it fosters professional self- censorship among
professionals in the industry.
UNESCO argues that codes of ethics, under their different denominations, are an essential instrument of
media self-regulation. They are a fundamental point of reference, guiding journalists on their role, their
rights and accountabilities and how they can best perform their job-all while representing a standard
against which their work can be assessed. With the code of ethics, journalists are served; publishers and
owners of media outlets are protected against legal claims and critics. The code of ethics contributes to
the accuracy, fairness, and reliability of information, therefore also benefiting the general public as
consumers of information which form part of the basis of individual, family, community, corporate, and
national decisions (
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) provides a sample of a code of ethics in 1936. NUJ Code of
Conduct The NUJ's Code of Conduct has set out the main principles of British and Irish journalism since
1936. The code is part of the rules and all journalists joining the union must sign that they will strive to
adhere to it.
Members of the National Union of Journalists are expected to abide by the following professional
principles: -A journalist:

1. At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression
and the right of the public to be informed
2. Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate, and fair 3. Does his/her
utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies Differentiates between fact and opinion
5. Obtains material by honest, straightforward, and open means, with the exception of investigations that
are both overwhelmingly in the public interest and which involve evidence that cannot be obtained by
straightforward means
6. Does nothing to intrude into anybody's private life, grief, or distress unless justified by overriding
consideration of the public interest
7. Protects the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material gathered in the
course of his/her work
8. Resists threats or any other inducements to influence, distort, or suppress information and takes no
unfair personal advantage of information gained in the course of his/her duties before the information is
public knowledge
e 9. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of a person's age,
gender, race, color, creed, legal status, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation
10. Does not by way of statement, voice, or appearance endorse by advertisement any commercial
product or service save for the promotion of his/her own work or of the medium by which she/he is
employed
11. Shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child
for a story about his/her welfare
12. Avoids plagiarism The NUJ believes a journalist has the right to refuse an assignment or be identified
as the author of editorial that would break the letter or spirit of the code. The NUJ will fully support any
journalist disciplined for asserting his/her right to act according to the code.
Further, the United Nations, Parliamentary Assembly issued Resolution 428 (1970), containing a
declaration on mass communication media and human rights. They outlined some measures to secure
responsibility of the press and other mass media as follows. It is the duty of the press and other mass
media to discharge their functions with a sense of responsibility toward the community and toward the
individual citizens. For this purpose, it is desirable to institute (where not already done): (a) professional
training for journalists under the responsibility of editors and journalists; (b) a professional code of ethics
for journalists; this should cover, inter alia, such matters as accurate and well-balanced reporting.
rectification of inaccurate information, clear distinction between reported information and comments,
avoidance of calumny, respect for privacy, respect for the right to a fair trial as guaranteed by Article 6 of
the European Convention on Human Rights; and (c) press councils empowered to investigate and even to
censure instances of unprofessional conduct with a view to the exercising of self-control by the press
itself.