Journalism

Journalism involves gathering, analyzing, creating, and presenting news and information. The characteristics and practices of journalism, as a form of communication, are distinct from those of other products and activities. In addition to separating journalism from other forms of communication, these features make it indispensable to democratic societies. According to history, the more democratic a society is, the more news and information it tends to have. Img 1: Ethics of journalism are based on bringing the truth to the world Journalism plays a different role in different countries. Many nations have government-controlled news media which are not fully (or even partially) independent. In contrast, some nations have independent news media that operate as independent businesses. As well as the differences in how media organizations are run and funded, different countries may have different approaches to freedom of speech and libel cases. In more recent years, due to the internet, there has been more participation in political, social and economic debates in a country. The implications of this freedom are uniform around the world and can make or break a political scene. The media landscape for journalism has been dramatically altered by the proliferation of devices and media. People are increasingly consuming news on e-readers, smartphones, and other personal electronic devices as opposed to the traditional forms of newspapers, magazines, and television news channels. Now, much more on digital platforms the impact of journalism still remains and continues to report, analyze and inform the world. What is architectural journalism? Journalism comprises all fields and subjects that run society. It acts as a medium between specialised content/expert subject matter and the populace unaware of it. It delivers information by collecting, analysing and stating unadulterated opinions of learned individuals. The need to deliver information from numerous sectors of society is more urgent than ever. While generalized and common news which affect society on a large scale is popular within media and journalism circles, topics of great importance are sometimes ignored or remain unseen due to their placement in journals/newspapers leading to ignorance about the subject and enabling misinformation - in turn depriving the community of the subject’s benefits. Similarly, architecture, construction and design remain devoid of serious journalism and focus more on action than entertainment and knowledge for its users. Architectural journalism is a niche in writing about architecture and design. Architecture journalists write about events in magazines and websites, report on social, political or economic events, or critique built/unbuilt environments related to disciplines in architecture. Img 2: Architecture journalism includes a wide spectrum of various disciplines and related subjects of architecture and design (Credits: Rethinking The Future) Need for journalism in architecture Architecture is representative of the society we live in and has the most impact on human psychology but remains least discussed. Due to profound methods of visual communication (plans, sections, 3D views etc), the stream of understanding and delivering architecture through writing has become tertiary. The lack of a common language for discussing architecture led eventually to less understanding of the profession and the need for communication in architecture through common mediums is more than ever. Before the advent of efficient built architecture, theories and principles of how to build structures were stated in detail in books like Ten books of architecture by Vitruvius, The Four Books on Architecture (I quattro libri dell'architettura) by Andrea Palladio and many more. These books laid down the foundation for Greek/Roman architecture and a few principles were also modified in later styles of construction. Architectural theory and writing thus went hand in hand with evolving elements in the architecture and design industries for ages. The presence of architectural journalism in the 21st century can be traced back to 1982 at a new york conference, where architectural criticism was recognized as a necessary element in architecture. The subject has been seen evolving into similar subsets with a large number of magazines, media companies imparting design and architecture in the forms of critical pieces, research papers and articles than just stunning projects pictures. As a language, it not only helps to interpret, identify, and celebrate the built environment, but can be used to inspire demand for better buildings, leading to better communities, and resulting in a better living environment. Img 3: Overview of architecture journalism (Credits: World Architecture Community) The profession of architectural journalism and writing is gradually gaining more value globally as the element of branding and informing users in an accessible language is proving to be much more useful. Besides describing a design, an architectural journalist/critic also exposes the planning policies, funding sources, and political agendas that shape the built environment and frame projects in their wider societal contexts. Articles, books and research by architectural journalists like Alexandra Lange, Micheal Kimmelman, Inga Saffron, Kenneth Frampton, Tom Dyckhoff and many more have not only helped change existing public policies but also gave in-depth insights into principles in urbanism, various eras of architecture and its effect on politics, social standing, people and places. Architectural Competitions Every professional and student in architecture needs to give architectural journalism and writing a second thought, not because of the novel way in which it expresses design, but because it plays a vital role in bringing the architect's innovation, idea, aspiration, motive, and the reader/user together. At the micro-level architectural journalism, writing and expressing has to be a necessary part of any design process. Thus, architectural competitions at UNI urge their participants to discover what they design, to communicate the intervention to the possible users and also express their design methodologies effectively through the journal editor. Explore journal articles in various architecture and design typologies: UNI Design Competitions UNI is a global network of architects and designers who are solving some of the most challenging problems around the globe. UNI brings together the world's largest pool of design challenges that are curated by the finest architecture academicians and professionals globally. Since 2017, UNI has hosted more than 200+ architecture competitions for various idea level to realization level briefs. In the past, UNI has helped 50+ organizations, universities, and government bodies to use our platform to generate architecture and design solutions through competitions. Discover other competitions: https://uni.xyz/competitions