How is journalism important?

The reason we have journalism is to provide objective information to the people so they may be self-governing. The 10 elements of journalism are...

1) Journalism's first obligation is to the truth

2) Its first loyalty is to citizens

3) Its essence is a discipline of verification

4) Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover

5) It must serve as an independent monitor of power

6) It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise

7) It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant

8) It must keep the news comprehensive and in proportion

9) Its practitioners have an obligation to exercise their personal conscience

10) Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news

*The above listed elements are from the book, "The Elements of Journalism" by Bill Kovach.

Also, the "need" for journalism is mainly to provide information to the people about what is going in in their local or national area. Without freedom of the press/speech, we would be cheated by our government because the people would be uninformed.