It is impossible to avoid the buzzwords—free speech, clickbait, partisanship, fake news—especially in journalism. They represent how far the media has fallen in the eyes of the public. Despite journalism’s failing image, it is necessary to remember the important role that journalism plays in our society.

So what is that role?

Not only do I think that this is the wrong question to ask, I also believe that determining why this is the wrong question is the key to understanding what journalistic integrity means and how we can restore it.

Let’s begin with the right question: What are the roles of journalism in our society? This is a subtle change, but an imperative one. The generalized notion of the function of journalism is to inform. That is certainly one function of journalism, but there are many more functions that journalism can serve. The reason I use the language “can serve” is that, because the term “journalism” applies to such a vast number of journalistic styles, organizations and programs, there is seemingly no limit to the number of roles journalism “can serve.”

There are countless real world examples of journalistic organizations serving roles other than informing. You happen to be reading one right now! Opinions sections of newspapers are not in the business of solely informing the public. The role of an opinions section is to create discourse or perhaps give insight into a purely speculative issue. These roles directly contrast those that would be held by an organization when they conduct an interview on a prominent figure in society, such as the news section of a newspaper. This type of journalism gives others a platform to speak about their cause or bring public attention to a specific perspective.

As a result of different journalistic organizations and different roles within journalism, the definition of journalistic integrity is not one that can be considered normatively. The concept of journalistic integrity shifts with the role that a specific piece of journalism is attempting to serve. In the context of what I have reasoned, shorthand for the overall definition for journalistic integrity could be: ensuring that the perceived role or roles a piece of journalism serves remain unhindered.

For example, the definition of journalistic integrity for me writing this opinion article could be interpreted as: providing room for and encouraging counterpoint or refraining from using fallacious or deceiving language to justify my opinion.

The way I have presented the idea of journalistic roles in society makes the entire concept of journalistic integrity very abstract. However, it does provide a natural response to the assertion I made earlier. Looking at journalism as having a sprawling and diverse set of roles in society can help restore the feeling of journalistic integrity among the public.

A journalist must merely go through the steps of determining what his/her roles are, determining which roles of those are her primary ones and making sure that that those roles remain uninhibited as she engages her audience. If the social roles of journalism are systematically carried out more effectively, then we will find that the public will become more trusting of those informants, debaters and muckrakers who truly want to be a force for social good.